Will writing services news: Thousands left to Cleo Lane

It has emerged that when Sir John Dankworth decided to make a will he made its beneficiary his wife, Dame Cleo Lane.

Ms Lane has received most of the composer's £561,347 estate after the composer passed away in February 2010 at the age of 82, showing the importance of making a will.

Mr Dankworth, who had worked with Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, also left behind a son, Alec, and daughter, Jacqui.

However, another celebrity family, that of the late Tony Curtis, is struggling more with wills and probate. The late actor's loved ones are currently battling over his rumoured $60 million (£37 million) fortune, it has been reported.

The Daily Mail said that Mr Curtis' daughter, Kelly Curtis, has begun legal proceedings, while another of his children is also thinking of following this route. This came after his assets were handed over to his sixth wife, Jill Vandenberg, in the form of a trust which she is the administrator of.

Published by Hannah Carr