Author and Illustrator Tasha Tudor Leaves Behind Fighting Children

Tasha Tudor, famed author and illustrator of children’s books, passed away in 2008.  In contrast to Tasha Tudor’s simple lifestyle, her four children are now fighting over the $2 million estate she left behind:

• Tasha left the bulk of her estate to her son Seth and his son.
• Because of their estrangement from her, Tasha left $1,000 to each of her daughters and an antique object to her other son Thomas.
• Thomas now claims that Seth exerted undue influence over Tasha and as a result, Tasha rewrote her will to substantially cut out her other three children.  Thomas has accused Seth of hatching this disinhertiance plot over ten years ago.
• Additionally, the siblings are fighting over minor matters, such as expenses for snow-plowing the road to Tasha’s former residence.
• Although Tasha asked that she be buried with her predecased dogs, her ashes were divided and buried in two different places as a result of fighting between her children on the issue.  One sibling described the ceremony as being a really unpleasant situation. 

See John Curran, Author Tasha Tudor’s Children Battle Over Estate, AP, Feb. 2010.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Wealth Counsel) for bringing this to my attention.