Lauren Bacall left her $26.6 million estate to her family, including some cash for her dog Sophie.
The 89-year-old film icon died earlier this month in New York, NY from a stroke. Her estate documents were filed in New York Surrogate’s Court on Friday, August 22, with an expedite order because her family plans to auction off her artwork later this fall.
Bacall’s property will be split evenly between her three children: Sam Prideaux Robards, Stephen Humphrey Bogart and Leslie Bogart. According to the court documents, she also left $250,000 to each of her two grandsons to be used for college. They will have access to the overage cash once they turn 30. And she even left something for her house staffers: $20,000 to one employee, and $15,000 to her maid.
But the very first item in her will pertains to her dog, Sophie. Bacall set aside $10,000 for the care of her beloved papillon, to be administered by her son Sam Prideaux Robards.
The New York Post's Page Six is reporting that Bacall’s estate is comprised of “her co-op apartment, royalties, tangibly personal property, cash and the remainder of a trust ex-husband Humphrey Bogart left her.”
The will was reportedly written last September with the following request: “I request that my children respect my wish to keep private certain personal letters, writings, diaries and other papers or memorabilia.”
Although Bacall isn’t the first thoughtful and responsible pet owner to leave money for the care of a four-legged family member, her bequest pales in comparison to that of hotelier and real estate investor Leona Helmsley. When she died in 2007, she left a staggering $12 million to her Maltese pooch, Trouble. Helmsley also instructed that virtually her entire estate, valued at $5 billion to $8 billion, be used for the care and welfare of dogs.
In 2008, actress Glen Close interviewed Bacall about Sophie and being a dog lover.
