Simon Cowell
While Eric Cowell is the son of multi-millionaire media mogul Simon Cowell, but the youngest will have to earn his own fortune. Simon, who is famous for being a recording executive, a caustic judge on American Idol , and some other things, probably.
He’s told Esquire magazine that he plans to leave his entire fortune – somewhere around five hundred million dollars – to charity. He’s even said that he doesn’t believe in passing on from one generation to another. He will simply leave a legacy of making fun of people who think they can sing, and giving lots of money to charity. A good man.
Martin Luther King Jr.
It's little surprise Martin Luther King Jr. didn't have a will, seeing as he was assassinated at the young age of thirty-nine. Because of this, the various members of his family, including his wife and children, have become locked in a bitter dispute over his fortune, such as it is, and his legacy.
The family ended up selling both his personal possessions and intellectual property as a result, in order to pay off debts. It's amazing how much King was able to accomplish during his short life, though becoming rich wasn't one of them – and that might be for the best.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah is, of course, still with us, but she's still revealed the details of their final wishes. Most of her money – to the tune of three billion dollars – will go to numerous charity organizations and foundations. However, her family is still getting some.
Specifically, she's going to leave almost thirty million dollars to her five beloved dogs. Golden retrievers Luke and Layla, cocker spaniel Sadie, and springer spaniels Sunny and Lauren will all have plenty of dough to last themselves through the end of their long, happy lives, should they live longer than their world-famous master.
Bill Gates
One of the world's richest men has a personal fortune of eighty-five billion dollars, but that doesn't mean that his children will be able to settle back on their laurels and do nothing with their lives. The Microsoft founder has pledged to leave most of his fortune to the foundation that he set up with his wife Melinda.
He will, however, pay for his children's college tuition. As he once told the television show This Morning, “It's not a favor to kids to have them have huge sums of wealth.” That means his children will have to find their own ways in life, though they still have a step up compared to others.
Elton John
Elton John and his partner David Furnish are planning to give away much of their $260 million fortune to various charities. Their two sons Zachary and Elijah, born through surrogacy, will be left with a notable amount, but the famous singer-songwriter told the newspaper The Daily Mirror that he doesn't want to make things too easy for his children.
“You have to have some semblance of normality, some respect for money, some respect for work.” It means that while Zach and Eli will still have the Elton John name to draw from, they'll still have to earn their own fortunes.