Sometimes people jump into marriages that their friends and family advise against, only to find out that they should have listened to their peers in the first place. When one or both spouses are particularly wealthy, the situation can get more complicated, especially if the two decide to end their marriage.
Don Cornelius, creator of the musical variety show "Soul Train," was found dead by one of his two sons early Wednesday morning at his Sherman Oaks, California, home. The 75-year-old musical pioneer is presumed to have taken his own life, which came as no surprise to those close to him considering the issues he had been facing, according to The Daily Beast.
In addition to several health problems, Cornelius recently finalized divorce proceedings that ended his marriage with Viktoria Chapman, a younger Russian model whom he married in 2001.
In the settlement, Cornelius was ordered to pay $10,000 monthly in spousal support, buy a home for Chapman worth no more than $1,095,000 and pay for his adopted daughter's college tuition, the news source said. She also was ordered to be Cornelius's beneficiary under his two life insurance policies, according to TMZ.
"He didn't want to give [his ex-wife] a dime,'' a family member of Cornelius' told The Daily Beast. "She caused him a lot of heartache and hadn't been there for the majority of his success and hard work. But, he had to and that burned through his skin. So many people told him not to marry her and he did. I think he was haunted by mistakes he could have avoided.''
Upon his apparent suicide, TMZ reports that Chapman will receive approximately $300,000 more from Cornelius in life insurance benefits.
With legal counselling from the beginning, Cornelius may have been able to protect his assets. Californians with significant wealth that plan on getting married should find a family attorney through a lawyer referral service that can help them decide if they would be wise to sign a prenuptial agreement.
Attorney Search Network is a California state bar certified legal referral service that helps clients find an attorney for nearly any type of case, whether they require a family lawyer, bankruptcy attorney, estate planning attorney or criminal lawyer.
