A judge in Los Angeles will decide on Friday whether the remains of Mickey Rooney will be released to his estranged eighth wife Janice or his lawyer, Michael Augustine.
Mickey Rooney died on Sunday, April 6, at the age of 93.
According to court documents, Mickey Rooney’s most recent will, dated March 11, left his modest estate to stepson Mark Aber.
The actor had previously sued his other stepson, Christopher Aber, alleging elder abuse and fiscal mismanagement.
Mark Aber – also known as Mark Rooney – and Christopher Aber are the sons of Janice Rooney, who Mickey Rooney married in 1978.
Mickey Rooney disinherited Janice and all his children in his last will, leaving his $18,000 estate to Mark Aber who had served, with his wife, as his caregiver.
Michael Augustine was granted a court order on Tuesday preventing Janice Rooney from removing the actor’s remains from a mortuary in Glendale, California.
Mickey Rooney, a Hollywood legend whose film and musical career spanned nine decades, was no longer living with his wife at the time of his death from natural causes.
The actor, loved by millions for his work in National Velvet and the Andy Hardy films, is survived by eight children as well as his two stepsons.
Mickey Rooney designated Michael Augustine to serve as the executor of his estate, stating he did not want any of his relatives handling his affairs.
In 2011, Mickey Rooney testified before a US Senate committee that he had been emotionally and financially abused by family members.
According to his lawyer, Mickey Rooney owned a burial plot northwest of Los Angeles but had recently said he wanted to be buried in Hollywood or a veterans’ cemetery.
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