Michael Jackson's Will

The LATimes has posted a PDF of Michael Joseph Jackson's last will which is copied here:

LAST WILL 

OF 

MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON 

I, MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON, a resident of the State of California, declare this 

to be my last Will, and do hereby revoke all former wills and codicils made by me. 

I 

I declare that I am not married. My marriage to DEBORAH mAN ROWE 

JACKSON has been dissolved. I have three children now living, PRINCE MICHAEL 

JACKSON, JR., PARIS MICHAEL KATHERINEJACKSON and PRINCE MICHAEL 

JOSEPHJACKSON,IT. I have no other children,living or deceased. 

IT 

It is my intention by this Will to dispose of all property which I am entitled to 

dispose-of by wiil. I specificallyrefrain from exercising aU150wersof appointment that I 

maypossess at the time of ~y death. 

ill 

I give my entire estate to the Trustee or Trustees then acting under that certain 

Amendedand Restated Declarationof Trust executed on March 22, 2002 by me as Trustee 

and Trustor which is called the MICHAELJACKSONFAMILYTRUST, giving effect to 

any amendmentsthereto made prior to my death. All such assets shall be held, managedand 

,. 

distributed as a part of said Trust accordingto its terms and not as a separate testamentary 

trust. 

.. 

If for any reason this gift is not operativeor is invalid, or if the aforesaid Trust fails 

or has been revoked, I give my residuaryestatd'tothe Trustee or Trustees named to act in the 

MICHAELJACKSON FAMILY TRUST, as Amended and Restated on March 22,2002, 

and I direct said Trustee or Trustees to divide, administer,hold and distribute the trust estate 

pursuant to the provisio~s of said Trust, as hereinabovereferred to as such provisions now

.' 

exist to the same extent and in the same manner as though that certain Amended and 

Restated Declarationof Trust, were herein set forth in full, but without giving effect to any 

subsequentamendmentsafter the date of this Will. The Trustee, Trustees, or any successor 

Trusteenamed in such Trust Agreementshall serve withoutbond. 

IV 

I direct that all federal estate taxes and state inheritanceor successiontaxes payable A 

upon or resulting ftom or by reason of my death (herein "Death Taxes") attributable to Il/ 

property which is part of the trust estate of the MICHAELJACKSONFAMILY TRUST, 

including property which passes to said trust from my probate estate shall be paid by the 

Trustee of said trust in accordance with its terms. Death Taxes attributable to property 

passing outside this Will, other than property constituting the trust estate of the trust 

inentionedin the precedingsentence,shall be chargedagainst the taker of said property. 

V 

I appoint JOHN BRANCA,JOHN McCLAINand BARRYSlliGEL as co-Executors 

Y 

. 

of this Will. In the eventof anyof their deaths,resignations,inability,failureor refusaltM " 

serve or continueto serve as a co-Executor,the other shall S'erveand no replacementneed be 

named. The co-Executors serving at"any time after my death may name one or more 

replacementsto serve in the event that none of the three named individualsis willing or able 

to serve at any time. 

The term "my executors" as used in this Will shall include any duly acting person~ A 11 fl 

representativeor representativesof my estate. No individual acting as such need post a vv {f-' 

bond. 

I hereby give to my Executors, full power and authorityat any time or times to sell, 

lease, mortgage, pledge, exchange or otherwise dispose of the property, whether real or, 

personal comprising my estate, upon such terms as my Executors shall deem best, to 

continueany business enterprises,to purchaseassets ftom my estate, to continuein force and 

Page 2

pay insurance premiums on any insurancepolicy, including life insurance, owned by my 

estate, and for any of the foregoingpurposesto make, execute and deliver any and all deeds, 

contracts, mortgages, bills of sale or other instrumentsnecessary or desirable therefor. In 

addition, I give to my Executorsfull power to invest and reinvest the estate funds and assets 

in any kind of property, real, personal or mixed, and every kind of investment, specifically 

including, but not by way of limitation, corporate obligations of every kind and stocks, 

preferred or common, and interestsin investmenttrusts and shares in investmentcompanies, 

and any commontrust fund administeredby any corporateexecutorhereunder,which men of 

prudent discretion and intelligenceacquirefor their own account. 

VI 

Except as otherwise provided in this Will or in the Trust refeITedto in Article m A11 

hereof, I have intentionally omitted to provide for my heirs. I have intentionally omitted to(V \;1 

provide for my fonner wife, DEBORAH JEAN ROWE JACKSON. 

vn 

If at the time of my death I own or have an interest in property located outside of the 

State of Californiarequiring ancillaryadministration,I appoint my domiciliaryExecutorsas 

ancillary Executors for such property. I give to said domiciliaryExecutors the following 

additionalpowers, rights and privilegesto be exercisedin their sole and absolutediscretion, 

with reference to such property: to cause such ancillary administrationto be commenced, 

caITiedon and completed; to detennine what assets, if any, are to be sold by the ancillary 

Executors; to pay directly or to advance funds from the California estate to the ancillary 

Executors for the payment of all claims, taxes, costs and administrationexpenses,including 

compensation of the ancillary Executors and attorneys' fees incUITedby reason of the 

ownership of such property and by such ancillary administration;and upon completion of 

such ancillary administration,I authorize and direct the ancillary Executors to distribute, 

transfer and deliver the residue of such property to the domiciliaryExecutors herein, to be 

distributedby them under the tenns of this Will, it being my intention that my entire estate 

Page 3 

--

.. . 

... 

shan be administered as a unit and that my domiciliary Executors shall supervise and 

control, so far as pennissible by local law, any ancillaryadministrationproceedingsdeemed 

necessaryin the settlementof my estate. 

vm 

If any of my children are minors at the time of my death, I nominate my mother, 

KATHERINEJACKSONas guardianof the pers~ns and estates_ofsuch minor children. If 

nominate DIANA ROSS as guardian of the pers 

I subscribe my name to this Will this 

On the date written below, MICHAEL JOSEPH J 

undersigned,that the foregoing instrument consistingof five (5) pages, including the page 

signed by us as witnesses, was his Will and requested us to act as witnesses to it. 'He 

thereupon signed this Will in our presence, all of us being present at the same time. We 

now, at his request, in his presenceand in the presenceof each other, subscribeour names as 

witnesses. ~.- 

Each of us is now more than eighteen(18) years of age and a competentwitness and 

resides at the address set forth after his name. 

Each of us is acquaintedwith MICHAELJOSEPH JACKSON. At this time, he is 

over the age of eighteen (18) years and, to the best of our knowledge, he is of sound mind 

and is not actingunder duress, menace,fraud, misrepresentationor undue influence.