Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister’s estate has hit the headlines again, more than a year after the famed rocker passed away.
Following Lemmy’s death, experts predicted his estate could be at the centre of an inheritance dispute when it was revealed the Ace of Spades singer may have three sons who could lay a claim to his fortune.
According to the Daily Telegraph, sources suggested Lemmy, whose real name was Ian Kilmister, was worth 6.75 million (AU$10.9 million) at the time of his death from an aggressive form of cancer in December 2015.
However, the UK’s Daily Mirror revealed earlier this month that the London probate office believes the star’s estate may only be valued at £528,806.
The news may come as a shock to Lemmy’s son Paul Inder, who is thought to be the only beneficiary of the unmarried rocker’s assets. But could more people be eligible to make a claim?
Lemmy’s ‘other children’
Paul, a successful music producer in Los Angeles, is allegedly not Lemmy’s only son.
The rock star was renowned for his promiscuous lifestyle, telling the Independent that he had slept with over 2,000 women during his life.
In a 2005 interview, he admitted having another son who was adopted at birth and worked as a computer programmer in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Furthermore, Lemmy told the Daily Telegraph in 2004 that he might be the father of a third son, although one of the band’s groupies, Graham, could also have been the boy’s dad.
“I met him. He didn’t look like me. But then, he didn’t look like Graham either,” Lemmy said at the time. “Maybe it was a third party.”
Making a claim on an estate
While Lemmy’s estate appears to be much smaller than originally estimated, any children not already listed as beneficiaries may be able to dispute the will and challenge for a share of his assets.
In NSW, this is typically achieved through a family provision claim, which is for eligible people who believe they have not been adequately provided for from the estate of a loved one.
However, family provision claims can be complex, particularly in cases where the deceased has children who may have been left out of the will. It is therefore important to seek guidance from an experienced law firm to understand how to proceed.
