Here are the last wills and testaments of some of the most influential people in American history and popular culture. From George Washington to Elvis, these wills offer insight into the lives of historical figures and the evolution of estate planning.
| Warren Burger Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1969 to 1986, Burger left a simple one-page will that he wrote himself. |
| Princess Diana The Princess of Wales, divorced from Prince Charles, died in a Paris car accident in 1997. |
| Joe DiMaggio The baseball legend, who played his entire career with the New York Yankees, died at the age of 84. |
| Doris Duke The American heiress and philanthropist gave large sums of money to charitable endeavors involving music, animals, and horticulture. After she died in 1993, numerous lawsuits tied up her $1.3 billion estate for years. |
| Benjamin Franklin This founding father left a detailed will, leaving real estate, cash gifts, musical instruments, and books to many different beneficiaries. He also famously left little to a son who had been on the wrong side of the American Revolution. |
| Jerry Garcia This Grateful Dead guitarist left a third of his estate to his wife, and the rest to other relatives. |
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Leona Helmsley Michael Jackson |
| John F. Kennedy, Jr. The former president's son died, with his wife, at age 38 when the small plane he was flying crashed. |
| John F. Kennedy 35th U.S. President, who served from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. |
| John Lennon A gifted musician and founding member of the Beatles, Lennon was murdered at age 40. His will named "my beloved wife Yoko Ono" as executor. |
| Linda McCartney Her will set up trusts for her husband, rocker Paul McCartney, and their children. |
| Marilyn Monroe The famous actress and sex symbol died in at age 36, of an overdose of barbiturates. |
| Richard Nixon The only U.S. President to resign, Nixon was also a lawyer, and left personal effects to his presidential library. |
| Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis The will of this former First Lady left many items from her White House days to friends. |
| David Packard The Hewlett-Packard cofounder was known for both his business acumen and philanthropic interests. |
| Elvis Presley The King's will set up a trust to benefit his daughter, father, and grandmother. More than 30 years after his death, his estate still brings in over $50 million a year. |
| Frank Sinatra The noted singer left all his sheet music to his son, Frank Jr. |
| Anna Nicole Smith A model who married a wealthy 89-year-old man when she was 26, she died of a prescription drug overdose. Lawsuits over her estate went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. |
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George Washington You don't have to be famous to need a will. Nolo makes it easy to protect your family by preparing your own legal will with Quicken WillMaker or Nolo's online will. |
