The late Sherman Hemsley, who played George Jefferson on “The Jefferson’s” remains unburied six weeks after his death while his manager/partner and alleged brother engage in a will contest over his $50,000 estate. The alleged brother is contesting the validity of a will executed a month before Hemsley’s death from cancer.
I am somewhat perplexed about how a will contest affects the burial. However, this problem could have been avoided if burial instructions were left in writing. Generally, leaving the funeral instructions in a will is not advisable because the funeral has already occurred by the time the will is read.
The small nature of the estate compared to the legal fees to contest the will is the one factor that could quickly resolve this dispute and allow Mr. Hemsley to start “movin’ on down.” My apologies for that, but I could not resist.