Author Thomas Wolfe recently passed away from an infection at the age of 88. Wolfe was known as one of the pioneers of 'new journalism' of the 1960s and 1970s. He later became a celebrated novelist with works like Bonfire of the Vanities and The Right Stuff.
The contents of his will have been made public. Wolfe might have been eccentric during his life, including wearing a white suite for all occasions, but his will is far less so. He left all his personal property and real property to his wife. The rights to his books were left to his two children, as the Daily Mail reports in "Tom Wolfe's will reveals he left the bulk of fortune to his wife of 40 years and asked to be cremated."
The only unusual thing is Wolfe skipping over his wife when it came to the book rights, which are potentially valuable. However, he might have done it because his wife would have eventually given them to the children anyway in her estate plan. She might also not have known how to handle the rights. One of Wolfe's children is a journalist, like him, and is likely better positioned to know how to handle rights to books.
At this point, it is not known if there will be any conflict over Wolfe's estate. However, the details will be known, because he did not use a trust as his main estate planning tool. Therefore, the details will not be kept private.
Reference: Daily Mail (June 15, 2018) "Tom Wolfe's will reveals he left the bulk of fortune to his wife of 40 years and asked to be cremated."
