Special Report: King of Pop Michael Jackson |
The 2002 will of Michael Jackson, filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, leaves his former wife, Deborah Rowe, out of any inheritance.
"I have intentionally omitted to provide for my former wife, Deborah Jean Rowe Jackson," the will states.
The singer, who died last Thursday, left his entire holdings to the Michael Jackson Family Trust.
The will names Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, as a beneficiary of the trust and the guardian of Jackson's children.
In the will, Jackson also asks entertainer Diana Ross to be the guardian of Jackson's children if Katherine were to die before him.
Ross introduced the Jackson 5 on the Ed Sullivan Show in the late 1960s and was instrumental in launching their career. She was a lifelong friend of Michael Jackson.
The will also claims that the pop icon's estate is worth more than 500 million dollars.
The document says Jackson's estate consisted almost entirely of "non-cash, non-liquid assets, including primarily an interest in a catalog of music royalty rights which is currently being administered by Sony ATV, and the interests of various entities."
One of Jackson's most lucrative assets is his stake in the massive Sony-ATV Music Publishing Catalog, which includes music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers, and is estimated to be worth as much as two billion dollars, according to press reports.
The will was signed by Jackson on July 7, 2002. In it, he named attorney John Branca, music executive John McClain and his accountant, Barry Siegel, as executors, according to the five-page document filed in the court.
In a statement, Branca and McClain said: "The most important element of Michael's will is his unwavering desire that his mother, Katherine, become the legal guardian for his three children. As we work to carry out Michael's instructions to safeguard both the future of his children as well as the remarkable legacy he left us as an artist we ask that all matters involving his estate be handled with the dignity and the respect that Michael and his family deserve."
Editor: Zhao Yanchen | Source: Xinhua