Bitter rift over Benny Hill's £7.5million fortune revealed after racy comedian's ‘2nd will for stars and pals rejected'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A BITTER feud has erupted over Benny Hill's £7.5million fortune, after claims his dying wish to leave cash to close friends and TV co-stars was binned – and the entire pot handed to family members he barely knew.
The legendary comic, once one of Britain's most-loved entertainers, died alone in his rented Teddington flat in 1992 – aged 68 – with piles of uncashed cheques and leftover food beside him.
Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter
Sign up
1
Comedy legend Benny Hill in his prime during the heyday of his iconic TV show
Credit: Alamy
Despite global fame and enormous wealth, Hill was a notorious penny-pincher who glued his shoes back together, bought discounted groceries and left behind a modest flat instead of a mansion.
And while his official 1961 will named now-deceased family members, close pals insist he later penned a second, informal version, giving specific sums to longtime colleagues and friends including Sue Upton, Dennis Kirkland, Louise English, Bob Todd and Henry McGee.
But the document never made it through probate – either rejected for not being signed and witnessed properly, or simply lost by the star.
'It's a very sad state of affairs,' said Upton, 70, a former Hill's Angel, who worked with him for more than a decade and became one of his dearest friends.
'Benny never saw his family, he wasn't close to them at all. The people who he worked with for many many years on the show, we were his family.'
'He used to say to me 'you haven't got to worry about money Little Sausage, you're in my will'… but Benny was the world's worst person for paperwork.'
She added: 'I was told there was a piece of paper with people's names and amounts and I was on that list… but it wouldn't stand up in court so that was that.'
Instead, Hill's £7.5million estate – worth over £20million today – went to seven nieces and nephews, most of whom had little or no relationship with him, the Daily Mail reports.
One niece, Madeleine Sailani, 68, who lives in a plush £1.3million pad near the sea in Hove, told reporters: 'I think there's been some confusion,' and refused to speak about the inheritance or an upcoming Channel 5 documentary on her famous uncle.
Another, Jonathan Hill, 62, resides in a £1million top-floor flat on one of Edinburgh's most exclusive streets.
His sister, Caroline Hill, 70, was last listed at a £1.6million house in Wandsworth, South West London.
The rest of the beneficiaries remain in Australia, where Hill's sister Diana lived until her death.
More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
5 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
I've dated both men and women… I know which sex is easier, says Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson
SHE'S best known for hosting Channel 4's controversial Naked Attraction, but Anna Richardson's own love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show. Following the end of an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins, Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks. 5 Naked Attraction host Anna Richardson's love life is almost as intriguing as the TV dating show Credit: Camera Press 5 Anna was in an eight-year relationship with comedian and presenter Sue Perkins Credit: Alamy 5 Anna is now loved up with charity boss Simon Marks Credit: BackGrid And she's clear that even though she puts no labels on her sexuality, she definitely...
Scottish Sun
29 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
More woke madness as beloved ITV detective show has been slapped with trigger warning over ‘crime scenes'
Another episode has a warning over 'Satanic images' WOKE JOKE More woke madness as beloved ITV detective show has been slapped with trigger warning over 'crime scenes' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) INSPECTOR Morse has been hit with his most baffling case yet — woke trigger warnings for the show's 'crime scenes'. ITV bosses fear viewers may get offended or upset while the mild-mannered Oxford detective solves his mystery of the week. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 1 Inspector Morse has been hit with a woke trigger warnings for the show's 'crime scenes' Credit: Alamy Streaming service ITVX even warns of 'Satanic images' in one episode of the crime drama, which ran from 1987 to 2000. Viewers must click past a parental control screen to watch series seven's 'Day of the Devil'. The episode sees Morse — played by John Thaw — and sidekick Det Sgt Robbie Lewis, (Kevin Whately) hunt down a rapist in a devil-worshipping cult after a jailbreak. One scene shows a Satanist being burned to death during a black mass. Many other episodes also have crime and violence warnings. Senior Tory MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke blasted: 'This is another example of soft-touch Britain seeping into everything. 'We're just going to be laughed at as a country if things like this continue, because nobody's prepared for the real world where there are no trigger warnings.' ITVX was contacted for comment on the Morse warnings. It previously said about general alerts: 'Programming that contains politically sensitive or distressing themes, content, or language has carried appropriate warnings since our launch.' Terry and June to get woke warning - 80s comedy show Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Gabby Logan recalls crushing low point after brutal Strictly Come Dancing exit
Gabby Logan has cast her mind back to her experiences on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing - and admits she was left fearing the nation hated her as she failed to secure votes Gabby Logan has candidly reflected on a time she felt she was deeply unpopular. The 52-year-old radio and television presenter is best known for hosting sports programs for the BBC, ITV and Channel 5. In August this year, she will land arguably her biggest job to date - as a new host of Match of the Day following the exit of controversial footballer Gary Lineker. But it is not just giving her two pence about on-pitch action that has drawn attention to Gabs. She has also enjoyed a foray into the world of competitive reality shows - popping up to present shows like the diving competition Splash! and celebrity sheep herding show Flockstars. Back in 2007, however, Gabby stepped out from behind her presenting lectern to be a contestants on hit show Strictly Come Dancing. The star was partnered with professional dancer James Jordan and, being season five of the long-running show, this was the time when Tess Daly and the late Sir Bruce Forsyth were hosts of the show. The judging panel consisted of Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood, Bruno Tonioli and the late Len Goodman. While Gabby made it through three rounds of the show before she was voted off, she is convinced that she became a hate figure during her time on the ballroom floor. She featured on the series at the same time as her husband, Kenny Logan - was also competing with Gabby's dance partner James' wife Ola Jordan. Wales Online quotes Gabby saying: "I had an amazing experience on Strictly, I was only on it for a few weeks, but I had an amazing experience — but also, a kind of life-changing experience in many ways." She elaborated: "[It] sounds a bit dramatic, and you hear people going 'Strictly changed my life', but this wasn't in a good way." Giving more clarity, she went on: "When you get voted out of Strictly, it's so shocking, because you go in every week starting to work on your following week's dance, and you don't expect to go home." And she revealed she was left being "very much aware that people didn't like" her during her time on the show. She also told Jessica Ennis on the Gold Minds podcast: "It was the fact that obviously people didn't vote for me — and it sounds a bit pathetic — but you realise when it's a reality show that it's about whether people like you. And I was very much aware that people didn't like me. "I was kind of like, they didn't like me enough to vote for me... It was a very sobering kind of experience because in the days afterwards, not only was I dreadfully missing the dancing, but also realising I kind of felt like, 'Oh, what was it about me that people didn't relate to?'" While Gabby and James crashed out in week four, her rugby star husband managed to make it through five more weeks before he too was voted off. Their season was awash with big name star - with Sir Rod Stewart's wife, Penny Lancaster, acting legend Stephanie Beacham, and model bombshell Kelly Brook were among those taking to the dance floor. The finalists that season included EastEnders star Matt Di Angelo and TV presenter Gethin Jones. While Mis-Teeq singer Alesha Dixon proved to be the victor of the show - and later became a judge on the series before being poached to judge on Britain's Got Talent.
