Weird requests in wills of the rich and famous

Having a will ensures your assets are distributed exactly as you wish after you pass away. Some people are quite general in their wishes dictated in their wills, while others are far more specific.

Celebrities are no different! From cat care to hair distribution, here are some of the strangest requests written into celebrity wills.

Napoleon Bonaparte

According to Militaryhistorynow.com, the French military officer loved licorice, snuff and long hot baths. His will specifically requested that when he died, his head be shaved and his hair divided up amongst his family and friends.

Alexander McQueen

Despite a career as one of Britain’s most-celebrated fashion designers and couturiers, Alexander McQueen committed suicide in 2010 at the age of 41. While he left most of his fortune to charity, he bequeathed nearly $75,000 for his dogs.

Leona Helmsley

Known as the “Queen of Mean” for her iron-fisted management style, Billionaire hotelier Leon Helmsley died of a heart attack at age 87. Having amassed a multi-billion fortune, the New Yorker famously left $10 million to her brother, $5 million to her grandsons and a staggering $12 million to her pooch, Trouble.

Harry Houdini

The Hungarian stunt performer and magician made his fortune entertaining crowds with death-defying escape acts. Houdini requested in his will that wife Bess conduct an annual séance following his death. He even gave her a secret code that he would use from the afterlife to provide he was in contact with her. The great performer apparently never returned, despite his wife following his wishes each year.

Fred Baur

The creator of the Pringles can was so proud of his invention which allowed Proctor & Gamble to stack chips vertically rather than scattered in a bag, he wanted to go to the grave in one.

According to TIME: “When my dad first raised the burial idea in the 1980s, I chuckled about it,” Baur’s eldest son Larry, 49.

“Larry Baur quickly realised his father was serious. Family jokes circulated about the Pringles plan, but no one questioned the elder Baur’s decision. So when Frederic Baur died after a battle with Alzheimer’s, Larry and his siblings stopped at Walgreen’s for a burial can of Pringles on their way to the funeral home. “My siblings and I briefly debated what flavor to use,” Baur says, “but I said, ‘Look, we need to use the original.'”

Gene Roddenberry

The American screenwriter and producer best remembered for creating the original Star Trek series, requested that his body and ashes be scattered in space.

According to popularmechanics.com, it took two attempts before a portion of Roddenberry’s ashes made it into orbit as part of the Celestis Founders Flight 1 in 1997. This private spacecraft remained in orbit for five years until it burnt up on re-entry in 2002 over the coast of Papua New Guinea. 

Dusty Springfield

Much-loved English singer Dusty Springfield was one of the most iconic singers to come out of the 60s.

Springfield loved animals and supported various animal-related charities and causes throughout her life. She had specific requests in her will related to her cat, Nicholas – most notably that he be fed imported baby food, live in an indoor tree house and to be sung to sleep at night to the refrains of Dusty’s old records. The most bizarre request part of the request was that she named the guardian of the cat and requested that her cat “marry” the guardian’s pet cat.

What’s the most unusual request you’ve ever heard of in a will?