The Probate Lawyer Blog

By all accounts, actor Gary Coleman had a difficult life after his days as the childhood star of Diff’rent Strokes.  He was estranged from his parents and died — nearly broke — at the age of 42.  While he was married at one time, he said in a TV interview that he remained a virgin, even after his marriage.  So what kind of marriage was it?

Not a very happy one, according to a Utah judge who recently issued a ruling to decide who gets to administer, and ultimately inherit, what little constitutes Gary Coleman’s Estate.  The lawsuit pitted Gary Coleman’s ex-wife, Shannon Price — who said she actually was still his wife until he died — against Coleman’s friend and former head of his corporation, Anna Gray.

In 2005, Gary Coleman signed a will naming Gray as his executor and beneficiary.  But Coleman married Price in 2007, and then signed a handwritten codicil to the will (“codicil” means amendment to a will) in favor of Price that same year.  Interestingly, in the will, Coleman wrote that:

I have made this change of free will and was not coerced in any way.  This I have done because of my personal selfishness and weakness and I love her with all of my heart.

One of Reese Witherspoon’s more famous roles was as the perky young attorney in Legally Blonde.  Late last week, she accompanied her parents to court in a much more somber setting. 

Reese Witherspoon’s father, Dr. John Draper Witherspoon, was recently married.  At least, that’s what a newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee announced.  You can read the big announcement and see the happy couple’s wedding photo here.

While John doesn’t exactly look happy in the picture, the announcement reveals that they will reside together in Nashville, following the intimate ceremony that featured cowboy boots and yellow roses, based on their Texas heritage.  The festivities took place on January 14th, and the couple plans a celebration with friends and family for the summer.