|
|
|
Last Will and Testament of
Elvis A. Presley
Last Will And Testament Of
Elvis A. Presley, Deceased
Filed August 22, 1977
Last Will And Testament of Elvis Presley
I, Elvis A. Presley,
a resident and citizen of Shelby County,
Tennessee, being of sound
mind and disposing memory, do hereby
make, publish and declare
this instrument to be my last will and
testament, hereby revoking
any and all wills and codicils by me
at any time heretofore made.
Item I
Debts, Expenses and Taxes
I direct my Executor,
hereinafter named, to pay all of my
matured debts and my funeral
expenses, as well as the costs and
expenses of the administration
of my estate, as soon after my
death as practicable. I
further direct that all estate,
inheritance, transfer and
succession taxes which are payable by
reason under this will,
be paid out of my residuary estate; and
I hereby waive on behalf
of my estate any right to recover from
any person any part of such
taxes so paid. My Executor, in his
sole discretion, may pay
from my domiciliary estate all or any
portion of the costs of
ancillary administration and similar
proceedings in other jurisdictions.
Item II
Instruction Concerning
Personal Property: Enjoyment in Specie
I anticipate that included
as a part of my property and estate
at the time of my death
will be tangible personal property of
various kinds, characters
and values, including trophies and
other items accumulated
by me during my professional career. I
hereby specifically instruct
all concerned that my Executor,
herein appointed, shall
have complete freedom and discretion as
to disposal of any and all
such property so long as he shall act
in good faith and in the
best interest of my estate and my
beneficiaries, and his discretion
so exercised shall not be
subject to question by anyone
whomsoever.
I hereby expressly
authorize my Executor and my Trustee,
respectively and successively,
to permit any beneficiary of any
and all trusts created hereunder
to enjoy in specie the use or
benefit of any household
goods, chattels, or other tangible
personal property (exclusive
of choses in action, cash,
stocks, bonds or other securities)
which either my Executor or my
Trustees may receive in
kind, and my Executor and my Trustees
shall not be liable for
any consumption, damage, injury to or
loss of any tangible property
so used, nor shall the
beneficiaries of any trusts
hereunder or their executors of
administrators be liable
for any consumption, damage, injury to
or loss of any tangible
personal property so used.
Item III
Real Estate
If I am the owner of
any real estate at the time of my death, I
instruct and empower my
Executor and my Trustee (as the case may
be) to hold such real estate
for investment, or to sell same, or
any portion therof, as my
Executor or my Trustee (as the case
may be) shall in his sole
judgment determine to be for the best
interest of my estate and
the beneficiaries thereof.
Item IV
Residuary Trust
After payment of all
debts, expenses and taxes as directed under
Item I hereof, I give, devise,
and bequeath all the rest,
residue, and remainder of
my estate, including all lapsed
legacies and devices, and
any property over which I have a power
of appointment, to my Trustee,
hereinafter named, in trust for
the following purposes:
(a) The Trustees is
directed to take, hold, manage, invest and
reinvent the corpus of the
trust and to collect the income
therefrom in accordance
with the rights, powers, duties,
authority and discretion
hereinafter set forth. The Trustee is
directed to pay all the
expenses, taxes and costs incurred in
the management of the trust
estate out of the income thereof.
(b) After payment of
all expenses, taxes and costs incurred in
the management of the expenses,
taxes and costs incurred in the
management of the trust
estate, the Trustee is authorizes to
accumulate the net income
or to pay or apply so much of the net
income and such portion
of the principal at any time and from
time to time to time for
health, education, support, comfortable
maintenance and welfare
of: (1) My daughter, Lisa
Marie Presley, and any other
lawful issue I might have, (2) my
grandmother, Minnie Mae
Presley, (3) my father, Vernon E.
Presley, and (4) such other
relatives of mine living at the time
of my death who in the absolute
discretion of my Trustees are in
need of emergency assistance
for any of the above mentioned
purposes and the Trustee
is able to make such distribution
without affecting the ability
of the trust to meet the present
needs of the first three
numbered categories of beneficiaries
herein mentioned or to meet
the reasonably expected future needs
of the first three classes
of beneficiaries herein mentioned.
Any decision of the Trustee
as to whether or not distribution,
to any of the persons described
hereunder shall be final and
conclusive and not subject
to question by any legatee or
beneficiary hereunder.
(c) Upon the death
of my Father, Vernon E. Presley, the Trustee
is instructed to make no
further distributions to the fourth
category of beneficiaries
and such beneficiaries shall cease to
have any interest whatsoever
in this trust.
(d) Upon the death
of both my said father and my said
grandmother, the Trustee
is directed to divide the Residuary
Trust into separate and
equal trusts, creating one such equal
trust for each of my lawful
children then surviving and one such
equal trust for the living
issue collectively, if any, of any
deceased child of mine.
The share, if any, for the issue of any
such deceased child, shall
immediately vest in such issue in
equal shares but shall be
subject to the provisions of Item V
herein. Separate books and
records shall be kept for each
trust, but it shall not
be necessary that a physical division of
the assets be made as to
each trust.
The Trustee may from
time to time distribute the whole or any
part of the net income or
principal from each of the aforesaid
trusts as the Trustee, in
its uncontrolled discretion, considers
necessary or desirable to
provide for the comfortable support,
education, maintenance,
benefit and general welfare of each of
my children. Such distributions
may be made directly to such
beneficiary or to the guardian
of the person of such beneficiary
and without repsonsibilty
on my Trustee to see to the
application of nay such
distributions and in making such
distributions, the Trustee
shall take into account all other
sources of funds known by
the Trustee to be available for each
respective beneficiary for
such purpose.
(e) As each of my respective
children attains the age of
twenty-five (25) years and
provided that both my father and my
grandmother are deceased,
the trust created hereunder for such
child care terminate, and
all the remainder of the assets then
contained in said trust
shall be distributed to such child so
attaining the age of twenty-five
(25) years outright and free of
further trust.
(f) If any of my children
for whose benefit a trust has been
created hereunder should
die before attaining the age of twenty-
five (25) years, then the
trust created for such a child shall
terminate on his death,
and all remaining assets then contained
in said trust shall be distributed
outright and free of further
trust and in equal shares
to the surviving issue of such
deceased child but subject
to the provisions of Item V herein;
but if there be no such
surviving issue , then to the brothers
and sisters of such deceased
child in equal shares, the issue of
any other deceased child
being entitled collectively to their
deceased parent's share.
Nevertheless, if any distribution
otherwise becomes payable
outright and free of trust under the
provisions of this paragraph
(f) of the Item IV of my will to a
beneficiary for whom the
Trustee is then administering a trust
for the benefit of such
beneficiary under provisions of this
last will and testament,
such distribution shall not be paid
outright to such beneficiary
but shall be added to and become a
part of the trust so being
administered for such beneficiary by
the Trustee.
Item V
Distribution to Minor Children
If any share of corpus
of any trust established under this will
become distributable outright
and free of trust to any
beneficiary before said
beneficiary has attained the age of
eighteen (18) years, then
said share shall immediately vest in
said beneficiary, but the
Trustee shall retain possession of
such share during the period
in which such beneficiary is under
the age of eighteen (18)
years, and, in the meantime, shall use
and expend so much of the
income and principal for the care,
support, and education of
such beneficiary, and any income not
so expended with respect
to each share so retained all the power
and discretion had with
respect to such trust generally.
Item VI
Alternate Distributees
In the event that all
of my descendants should be deceased at
any time prior to the time
for the termination of the trusts
provided for herein, then
in such event all of my estate and all
the assets of every trust
to be created hereunder (as the case
may be) shall then distributed
outright in equal shares to my
heirs at law per stripes.
Item VII
Unenforceable Provisions
If any provisions of
this will are unenforceable, the remaining
provisions shall, nevertheless,
be carried into effect.
Item VIII
Life Insurance
If my estate is the
beneficiary of any life insurance on my
life at the time of my death,
I direct that the proceeds
therefrom will be used by
my Executor in payment of the debts ,
expenses and taxes listed
in Item I of this will, to the extent
deemed advisable by the
Executor. All such proceeds not so used
are to be used by my Executor
for the purpose of satisfying the
devises and bequests contained
in Item IV herein.
Item IX
Spendthrift Provision
I direct that the interest
of any beneficiary in principal or
income of any trust created
hereunder shall not be subject to
claims of creditors or others,
nor to legal process, and may not
be voluntarily or involuntarily
alienated or encumbered except as
herein provided. Any bequests
contained herein for any female
shall be for her sole and
separate use, free from the debts,
contracts and control of
any husband she may ever have.
Item X
Proceeds From Personal Services
All sums paid after
my death (either to my estate or to any of
the trusts created hereunder)
and resulting from personal
services rendered by me
during my lifetime, including, but not
limited to, royalties of
all nature, concerts, motion picture
contracts, and personal
appearances shall be considered to be
income, notwithstanding
the provisions of estate and trust law
to the contrary.
Item XI
Executor and Trustee
I appoint as executor
of this, my last will and testament, and
as Trustee of every trust
required to be created hereunder, my
said father.
I hereby direct that
my said father shall be entitled by his
last will ant testament,
duly probated, to appoint a successor
Executor of my estate, as
well as a successor Trustee or
successor Trustees of all
the trusts to be created under my last
will and testament.
If, for any reason,
my said father be unable to serve or to
continue to serve as Executor
and/or as Trustee, or if he be
deceased and shall not have
appointed a successor Executor or
Trustee, by virtue of his
last will and testament as stated
-above, then I appoint National
Bank of Commerce, Memphis,
Tennessee, or its successor
or the institution with which it may
merge, as successor Executor
and/or as successor Trustee of all
trusts required to be established
hereunder.
None of the appointees
named hereunder,including any appointment
made by virtue of the last
will and testament of my said father,
shall be required to furnish
any bond or security for
performance of the respective
fiduciary duties required
hereunder, notwithstanding
any rule of law to the contrary.
Item XII
Powers, Duties, Privileges
and Immunities of the Trustee
Except as otherwise
stated expressly to the contrary herein, I
give and grant to the said
Trustee (and to the duly appointed
successor Trustee when acting
as such) the power to do
everything he deems advisable
with respect to the administration
of each trust required to
be established under this, my last
will and Testament, even
though such powers would not be
authorized or appropriate
for the Trustee under statutory or
other rules of law. By way
of illustration and not in
limitation of the generality
of the foregoing grant of power and
authority of the Trustee,
I give and grant to him plenary power
as follows:
(a) To exercise all
those powers authorized to fiduciaries under
the provisions of the Tennessee
Code Annotated, Sections 35-616
to 35-618, inclusive, including
any amendments thereto in effect
at the time of my death,
and the same are expressly referred to
and incorporated herein
by reference.
(b) Plenary power is
granted to the Trustee, not only to relieve
him from seeking judicial
instruction, but to the extent that
the Trustee deems it to
be prudent, to encourage determinations
freely to be made in favor
of persons who are the current income
beneficiaries. In such instances
the rights of all subsequent
beneficiaries are subordinate,
and the Trustee shall not be
answerable to any subsequent
beneficiary for anything done or
omitted in favor of a current
income beneficiary may compel any
such favorable or preferential
treatment. Without in anywise
minimizing or impairing
the scope of this declaration of intent,
it includes investment policy,
exercise of discretionary power
to pay or apply principal
and income, and determination
principal and income questions;
(c) It shall be lawful
for the Trustee to apply any sum that is
payable to or for the benefit
of a minor (or any other person
who in the Judgment of the
Trustee, is incapable of making
proper disposition thereof)
by payments in discharge of the
costs and expenses of educating,
maintaining and supporting said
beneficiary, or to make
payment to anyone with whom said
beneficiary resides or who
has the care or custody of the
beneficiary, temporarily
or permanently, all without
intervention of any guardian
or like fiduciary. The receipt of
anyone to whom payment is
so authorized to be made shall be a
complete discharge of the
Trustees without obligation on his
part to see to the further
application hereto, and without
regard to other resource
that the beneficiary may have, or the
duty of any other person
to support the beneficiary;
(d) In Dealing with
the Trustee, no grantee, pledge, vendee,
mortgage, lessee or other
transference of the trust properties,
or any part therof, shall
be bound to inquire with respect to
the purpose or necessity
of any such disposition or to see to
the application of any consideration
therefore paid to the
Trustee.
Item XIII
Concerning the Trustee and the Executor
(a) If at any time
the Trustee shall have reasonable doubt as to
his power, authority or
duty in the administration of any trust
herein created, it shall
be lawful for the Trustee to obtain the
advice and counsel of reputable
legal counsel without resorting
to the courts for instructions;
and the Trustee shall be fully
absolved from all liability
and damage or detriment to the
various trust estates of
any beneficiary thereunder by reason of
anything done, suffered
or omitted pursuant to advice of said
counsel given and obtained
in good faith, provided that nothing
contained herein shall be
construed to prohibit or prevent the
Trustee in all proper cases
from applying to a court of
competent jurisdiction for
instructions in the administration
of the trust assets in lieu
of obtaining advice of counsel.
(b) In managing, investing,
and controlling the various trust
estates, the Trustee shall
exercise the judgment and care under
the circumstances then prevailing,
which men of prudence
discretion and judgment
exercise in the management of their own
affairs, not in regard to
speculation, but in regard to the
permanent disposition of
their funds, considering the probable
income as well as the probable
safety of their capital, and, in
addition, the purchasing
power of income distribution to
beneficiaries.
(c) My Trustee (as
well as my Executor) shall be entitled to
reasonable and adequate
and adequate compensation for the
fiduciary services rendered
by him.
(d) My Executor and
his successor Executor and his successor
Executor shall have the
same rights, privileges, powers and
immunities herein granted
to my Trustee wherever appropriate.
(e) In referring to
any fiduciary hereunder, for purposes of
construction, masculine
pronouns may include a corporate
fiduciary and neutral pronouns
may include an individual
fiduciary.
Item XIV
Law Against Perpetuities
(a) Having in mind
the rule against perpetuities, I direct that
(notwithstanding anything
contained to the contrary in this last
will and testament) each
trust created under this will (except
such trust created under
this will (except such trusts as have
heretofore vested in compliance
with such rule or law) shall
end, unless sooner terminated
under other provisions of this
will, twenty-one (21) years
after the death of the last survivor
of such of the beneficiaries
hereunder as are living at the time
of my death; and thereupon
that the property held in trust shall
be distributed free of all
trust to the persons then entitled to
receive the income and/or
principal therefrom, in the proportion
in proportion in which they
are then entitled to receive such
income.
(b) Notwithstanding
anything else contained in this will to the
contrary, I direct that
if any distribution under this will
become payable to a person
for whom the Trustee is then
administering a trust created
hereunder for the benefit of such
person, such distribution
shall be made to such trust and not to
the beneficiary outright,
and the funds so passing to such trust
shall become a part thereof
as corpus and be administered and
distributed to the same
extent and purpose as if such funds had
been a part of such a trust
at its inception.
Item XV
Payment of Estate and Inheritance Taxes
Notwithstanding the
provisions of Item X herein, I authorize my
Executor to use such sums
received by my estate after my death
and resulting from my personal
services as identified in Item X
as he deem necessary and
advisable in order to pay the taxes
referred to in Item I of
my said will.
In WITNESS WHEREOF,
I, the said ELVIS A. PRESLEY, do hereunto
set my hand and seal in
the presence of two (2) competent
witnesses, and in their
presence do publish and declare this
instrument to be my Last
Will and Testament, this 3 day of
March, 1977.
[Signed by Elvis A.
Presley]
ELVIS A. PRESLEY
The foregoing instrument,
consisting of this and eleven (11)
preceding typewritten pages,
was signed, sealed, published and
declared by ELVIS A.PRESLEY,
the Testator, to be his Last Will
and Testament, in our presence,
and we, at his request and in
his presence and in the
presence of each other, have hereunto
subscribed our names as
witnesses, this 3 day of March, 1977, at
Memphis, Tennessee.
[Signed by Ginger Alden]
Ginger Alden residing
at 4152 Royal Crest Place
[Signed by Charles
F. Hodge]
Charles F. Hodge residing
at 3764 Elvis Presley Blvd.
[Signed by Ann Dewey
Smith]
Ann Dewey Smith residing
at 2237 Court Avenue.
State of Tennessee
County of Shelby
Ginger Alden, Charles
F. Hodge, and Ann Dewey Smith, after being
first duly sworn, make oath
or affirm that the foregoing Last
Will and Testament, in the
sight and presence of us, the
undersigned, who at his
request and in his sight and presence,
and in the sight and presence
of each other, have subscribed our
names as attesting witnesses
on the 3 day of March, 1977, and we
further make oath or affirm
that the Testator was of sound mind
and disposing memory and
not acting under fraud, menace or undue
influence of any person,
and was more than eighteen (18) years
of age; and that each of
the attesting witnesses is more than
eighteen (18) years of age.
[Signed by Ginger Alden]
Ginger Alden
[Signed by Charles
F. Hodge]
Charles F. Hodge
[Signed by Ann Dewey
Smith]
Ann Dewey Smith
Sworn To And Subscribed
before me this 3 day of March, 1977.
Drayton Beecker Smith
II Notary Public
My commission expires:
August 8, 1979
Admitted to probate
and Ordered Recorded August 22, 1977
Joseph W. Evans, Judge
Recorded August 22,
1977
B.J. Dunavant, Clerk
By: Jan Scott, D.C. |