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Last Will and Testament of Elvis
A. Presley
Last Will And Testament Of Elvis A. Presley, Deceased
Filed August 22, 1977
Last Will And Testament of Elvis
Presley
I, Elvis A. Presley, a resident
and citizen of Shelby County,
Tennessee, being of sound mind and disposing memory,
do hereby
make, publish and declare this instrument to be
my last will and
testament, hereby revoking any and all wills and
codicils by me
at any time heretofore made.
Item I
Debts, Expenses and Taxes
I direct my Executor, hereinafter
named, to pay all of my
matured debts and my funeral expenses, as well
as the costs and
expenses of the administration of my estate, as
soon after my
death as practicable. I further direct that all
estate,
inheritance, transfer and succession taxes which
are payable by
reason under this will, be paid out of my residuary
estate; and
I hereby waive on behalf of my estate any right
to recover from
any person any part of such taxes so paid. My
Executor, in his
sole discretion, may pay from my domiciliary estate
all or any
portion of the costs of ancillary administration
and similar
proceedings in other jurisdictions.
Item II
Instruction Concerning Personal
Property: Enjoyment in Specie
I anticipate that included as a
part of my property and estate
at the time of my death will be tangible personal
property of
various kinds, characters and values, including
trophies and
other items accumulated by me during my professional
career. I
hereby specifically instruct all concerned that
my Executor,
herein appointed, shall have complete freedom
and discretion as
to disposal of any and all such property so long
as he shall act
in good faith and in the best interest of my estate
and my
beneficiaries, and his discretion so exercised
shall not be
subject to question by anyone whomsoever.
I hereby expressly authorize my
Executor and my Trustee,
respectively and successively, to permit any beneficiary
of any
and all trusts created hereunder to enjoy in specie
the use or
benefit of any household goods, chattels, or other
tangible
personal property (exclusive of choses in action,
cash,
stocks, bonds or other securities) which either
my Executor or my
Trustees may receive in kind, and my Executor
and my Trustees
shall not be liable for any consumption, damage,
injury to or
loss of any tangible property so used, nor shall
the
beneficiaries of any trusts hereunder or their
executors of
administrators be liable for any consumption,
damage, injury to
or loss of any tangible personal property so used.
Item III
Real Estate
If I am the owner of any real estate
at the time of my death, I
instruct and empower my Executor and my Trustee
(as the case may
be) to hold such real estate for investment, or
to sell same, or
any portion therof, as my Executor or my Trustee
(as the case
may be) shall in his sole judgment determine to
be for the best
interest of my estate and the beneficiaries thereof.
Item IV
Residuary Trust
After payment of all debts, expenses
and taxes as directed under
Item I hereof, I give, devise, and bequeath all
the rest,
residue, and remainder of my estate, including
all lapsed
legacies and devices, and any property over which
I have a power
of appointment, to my Trustee, hereinafter named,
in trust for
the following purposes:
(a) The Trustees is directed to
take, hold, manage, invest and
reinvent the corpus of the trust and to collect
the income
therefrom in accordance with the rights, powers,
duties,
authority and discretion hereinafter set forth.
The Trustee is
directed to pay all the expenses, taxes and costs
incurred in
the management of the trust estate out of the
income thereof.
(b) After payment of all expenses,
taxes and costs incurred in
the management of the expenses, taxes and costs
incurred in the
management of the trust estate, the Trustee is
authorizes to
accumulate the net income or to pay or apply so
much of the net
income and such portion of the principal at any
time and from
time to time to time for health, education, support,
comfortable
maintenance and welfare of: (1) My daughter, Lisa
Marie Presley, and any other lawful issue I might
have, (2) my
grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, (3) my father,
Vernon E.
Presley, and (4) such other relatives of mine
living at the time
of my death who in the absolute discretion of
my Trustees are in
need of emergency assistance for any of the above
mentioned
purposes and the Trustee is able to make such
distribution
without affecting the ability of the trust to
meet the present
needs of the first three numbered categories of
beneficiaries
herein mentioned or to meet the reasonably expected
future needs
of the first three classes of beneficiaries herein
mentioned.
Any decision of the Trustee as to whether or not
distribution,
to any of the persons described hereunder shall
be final and
conclusive and not subject to question by any
legatee or
beneficiary hereunder.
(c) Upon the death of my Father,
Vernon E. Presley, the Trustee
is instructed to make no further distributions
to the fourth
category of beneficiaries and such beneficiaries
shall cease to
have any interest whatsoever in this trust.
(d) Upon the death of both my said
father and my said
grandmother, the Trustee is directed to divide
the Residuary
Trust into separate and equal trusts, creating
one such equal
trust for each of my lawful children then surviving
and one such
equal trust for the living issue collectively,
if any, of any
deceased child of mine. The share, if any, for
the issue of any
such deceased child, shall immediately vest in
such issue in
equal shares but shall be subject to the provisions
of Item V
herein. Separate books and records shall be kept
for each
trust, but it shall not be necessary that a physical
division of
the assets be made as to each trust.
The Trustee may from time to time
distribute the whole or any
part of the net income or principal from each
of the aforesaid
trusts as the Trustee, in its uncontrolled discretion,
considers
necessary or desirable to provide for the comfortable
support,
education, maintenance, benefit and general welfare
of each of
my children. Such distributions may be made directly
to such
beneficiary or to the guardian of the person of
such beneficiary
and without repsonsibilty on my Trustee to see
to the
application of nay such distributions and in making
such
distributions, the Trustee shall take into account
all other
sources of funds known by the Trustee to be available
for each
respective beneficiary for such purpose.
(e) As each of my respective children
attains the age of
twenty-five (25) years and provided that both
my father and my
grandmother are deceased, the trust created hereunder
for such
child care terminate, and all the remainder of
the assets then
contained in said trust shall be distributed to
such child so
attaining the age of twenty-five (25) years outright
and free of
further trust.
(f) If any of my children for whose
benefit a trust has been
created hereunder should die before attaining
the age of twenty-
five (25) years, then the trust created for such
a child shall
terminate on his death, and all remaining assets
then contained
in said trust shall be distributed outright and
free of further
trust and in equal shares to the surviving issue
of such
deceased child but subject to the provisions of
Item V herein;
but if there be no such surviving issue , then
to the brothers
and sisters of such deceased child in equal shares,
the issue of
any other deceased child being entitled collectively
to their
deceased parent's share. Nevertheless, if any
distribution
otherwise becomes payable outright and free of
trust under the
provisions of this paragraph (f) of the Item IV
of my will to a
beneficiary for whom the Trustee is then administering
a trust
for the benefit of such beneficiary under provisions
of this
last will and testament, such distribution shall
not be paid
outright to such beneficiary but shall be added
to and become a
part of the trust so being administered for such
beneficiary by
the Trustee.
Item V
Distribution to Minor Children
If any share of corpus of any trust
established under this will
become distributable outright and free of trust
to any
beneficiary before said beneficiary has attained
the age of
eighteen (18) years, then said share shall immediately
vest in
said beneficiary, but the Trustee shall retain
possession of
such share during the period in which such beneficiary
is under
the age of eighteen (18) years, and, in the meantime,
shall use
and expend so much of the income and principal
for the care,
support, and education of such beneficiary, and
any income not
so expended with respect to each share so retained
all the power
and discretion had with respect to such trust
generally.
Item VI
Alternate Distributees
In the event that all of my descendants
should be deceased at
any time prior to the time for the termination
of the trusts
provided for herein, then in such event all of
my estate and all
the assets of every trust to be created hereunder
(as the case
may be) shall then distributed outright in equal
shares to my
heirs at law per stripes.
Item VII
Unenforceable Provisions
If any provisions of this will
are unenforceable, the remaining
provisions shall, nevertheless, be carried into
effect.
Item VIII
Life Insurance
If my estate is the beneficiary
of any life insurance on my
life at the time of my death, I direct that the
proceeds
therefrom will be used by my Executor in payment
of the debts ,
expenses and taxes listed in Item I of this will,
to the extent
deemed advisable by the Executor. All such proceeds
not so used
are to be used by my Executor for the purpose
of satisfying the
devises and bequests contained in Item IV herein.
Item IX
Spendthrift Provision
I direct that the interest of any
beneficiary in principal or
income of any trust created hereunder shall not
be subject to
claims of creditors or others, nor to legal process,
and may not
be voluntarily or involuntarily alienated or encumbered
except as
herein provided. Any bequests contained herein
for any female
shall be for her sole and separate use, free from
the debts,
contracts and control of any husband she may ever
have.
Item X
Proceeds From Personal Services
All sums paid after my death (either
to my estate or to any of
the trusts created hereunder) and resulting from
personal
services rendered by me during my lifetime, including,
but not
limited to, royalties of all nature, concerts,
motion picture
contracts, and personal appearances shall be considered
to be
income, notwithstanding the provisions of estate
and trust law
to the contrary.
Item XI
Executor and Trustee
I appoint as executor of this,
my last will and testament, and
as Trustee of every trust required to be created
hereunder, my
said father.
I hereby direct that my said father
shall be entitled by his
last will ant testament, duly probated, to appoint
a successor
Executor of my estate, as well as a successor
Trustee or
successor Trustees of all the trusts to be created
under my last
will and testament.
If, for any reason, my said father
be unable to serve or to
continue to serve as Executor and/or as Trustee,
or if he be
deceased and shall not have appointed a successor
Executor or
Trustee, by virtue of his last will and testament
as stated
-above, then I appoint National Bank of Commerce,
Memphis,
Tennessee, or its successor or the institution
with which it may
merge, as successor Executor and/or as successor
Trustee of all
trusts required to be established hereunder.
None of the appointees named hereunder,including
any appointment
made by virtue of the last will and testament
of my said father,
shall be required to furnish any bond or security
for
performance of the respective fiduciary duties
required
hereunder, notwithstanding any rule of law to
the contrary.
Item XII
Powers, Duties, Privileges and
Immunities of the Trustee
Except as otherwise stated expressly
to the contrary herein, I
give and grant to the said Trustee (and to the
duly appointed
successor Trustee when acting as such) the power
to do
everything he deems advisable with respect to
the administration
of each trust required to be established under
this, my last
will and Testament, even though such powers would
not be
authorized or appropriate for the Trustee under
statutory or
other rules of law. By way of illustration and
not in
limitation of the generality of the foregoing
grant of power and
authority of the Trustee, I give and grant to
him plenary power
as follows:
(a) To exercise all those powers
authorized to fiduciaries under
the provisions of the Tennessee Code Annotated,
Sections 35-616
to 35-618, inclusive, including any amendments
thereto in effect
at the time of my death, and the same are expressly
referred to
and incorporated herein by reference.
(b) Plenary power is granted to
the Trustee, not only to relieve
him from seeking judicial instruction, but to
the extent that
the Trustee deems it to be prudent, to encourage
determinations
freely to be made in favor of persons who are
the current income
beneficiaries. In such instances the rights of
all subsequent
beneficiaries are subordinate, and the Trustee
shall not be
answerable to any subsequent beneficiary for anything
done or
omitted in favor of a current income beneficiary
may compel any
such favorable or preferential treatment. Without
in anywise
minimizing or impairing the scope of this declaration
of intent,
it includes investment policy, exercise of discretionary
power
to pay or apply principal and income, and determination
principal and income questions;
(c) It shall be lawful for the
Trustee to apply any sum that is
payable to or for the benefit of a minor (or any
other person
who in the Judgment of the Trustee, is incapable
of making
proper disposition thereof) by payments in discharge
of the
costs and expenses of educating, maintaining and
supporting said
beneficiary, or to make payment to anyone with
whom said
beneficiary resides or who has the care or custody
of the
beneficiary, temporarily or permanently, all without
intervention of any guardian or like fiduciary.
The receipt of
anyone to whom payment is so authorized to be
made shall be a
complete discharge of the Trustees without obligation
on his
part to see to the further application hereto,
and without
regard to other resource that the beneficiary
may have, or the
duty of any other person to support the beneficiary;
(d) In Dealing with the Trustee,
no grantee, pledge, vendee,
mortgage, lessee or other transference of the
trust properties,
or any part therof, shall be bound to inquire
with respect to
the purpose or necessity of any such disposition
or to see to
the application of any consideration therefore
paid to the
Trustee.
Item XIII
Concerning the Trustee and the
Executor
(a) If at any time the Trustee
shall have reasonable doubt as to
his power, authority or duty in the administration
of any trust
herein created, it shall be lawful for the Trustee
to obtain the
advice and counsel of reputable legal counsel
without resorting
to the courts for instructions; and the Trustee
shall be fully
absolved from all liability and damage or detriment
to the
various trust estates of any beneficiary thereunder
by reason of
anything done, suffered or omitted pursuant to
advice of said
counsel given and obtained in good faith, provided
that nothing
contained herein shall be construed to prohibit
or prevent the
Trustee in all proper cases from applying to a
court of
competent jurisdiction for instructions in the
administration
of the trust assets in lieu of obtaining advice
of counsel.
(b) In managing, investing, and
controlling the various trust
estates, the Trustee shall exercise the judgment
and care under
the circumstances then prevailing, which men of
prudence
discretion and judgment exercise in the management
of their own
affairs, not in regard to speculation, but in
regard to the
permanent disposition of their funds, considering
the probable
income as well as the probable safety of their
capital, and, in
addition, the purchasing power of income distribution
to
beneficiaries.
(c) My Trustee (as well as my Executor)
shall be entitled to
reasonable and adequate and adequate compensation
for the
fiduciary services rendered by him.
(d) My Executor and his successor
Executor and his successor
Executor shall have the same rights, privileges,
powers and
immunities herein granted to my Trustee wherever
appropriate.
(e) In referring to any fiduciary
hereunder, for purposes of
construction, masculine pronouns may include a
corporate
fiduciary and neutral pronouns may include an
individual
fiduciary.
Item XIV
Law Against Perpetuities
(a) Having in mind the rule against
perpetuities, I direct that
(notwithstanding anything contained to the contrary
in this last
will and testament) each trust created under this
will (except
such trust created under this will (except such
trusts as have
heretofore vested in compliance with such rule
or law) shall
end, unless sooner terminated under other provisions
of this
will, twenty-one (21) years after the death of
the last survivor
of such of the beneficiaries hereunder as are
living at the time
of my death; and thereupon that the property held
in trust shall
be distributed free of all trust to the persons
then entitled to
receive the income and/or principal therefrom,
in the proportion
in proportion in which they are then entitled
to receive such
income.
(b) Notwithstanding anything else
contained in this will to the
contrary, I direct that if any distribution under
this will
become payable to a person for whom the Trustee
is then
administering a trust created hereunder for the
benefit of such
person, such distribution shall be made to such
trust and not to
the beneficiary outright, and the funds so passing
to such trust
shall become a part thereof as corpus and be administered
and
distributed to the same extent and purpose as
if such funds had
been a part of such a trust at its inception.
Item XV
Payment of Estate and Inheritance
Taxes
Notwithstanding the provisions
of Item X herein, I authorize my
Executor to use such sums received by my estate
after my death
and resulting from my personal services as identified
in Item X
as he deem necessary and advisable in order to
pay the taxes
referred to in Item I of my said will.
In WITNESS WHEREOF, I, the said
ELVIS A. PRESLEY, do hereunto
set my hand and seal in the presence of two (2)
competent
witnesses, and in their presence do publish and
declare this
instrument to be my Last Will and Testament, this
3 day of
March, 1977.
[Signed by Elvis A. Presley]
ELVIS A. PRESLEY
The foregoing instrument, consisting
of this and eleven (11)
preceding typewritten pages, was signed, sealed,
published and
declared by ELVIS A.PRESLEY, the Testator, to
be his Last Will
and Testament, in our presence, and we, at his
request and in
his presence and in the presence of each other,
have hereunto
subscribed our names as witnesses, this 3 day
of March, 1977, at
Memphis, Tennessee.
[Signed by Ginger Alden]
Ginger Alden residing at 4152 Royal Crest Place
[Signed by Charles F. Hodge]
Charles F. Hodge residing at 3764 Elvis Presley
Blvd.
[Signed by Ann Dewey Smith]
Ann Dewey Smith residing at 2237 Court Avenue.
State of Tennessee
County of Shelby
Ginger Alden, Charles F. Hodge,
and Ann Dewey Smith, after being
first duly sworn, make oath or affirm that the
foregoing Last
Will and Testament, in the sight and presence
of us, the
undersigned, who at his request and in his sight
and presence,
and in the sight and presence of each other, have
subscribed our
names as attesting witnesses on the 3 day of March,
1977, and we
further make oath or affirm that the Testator
was of sound mind
and disposing memory and not acting under fraud,
menace or undue
influence of any person, and was more than eighteen
(18) years
of age; and that each of the attesting witnesses
is more than
eighteen (18) years of age.
[Signed by Ginger Alden]
Ginger Alden
[Signed by Charles F. Hodge]
Charles F. Hodge
[Signed by Ann Dewey Smith]
Ann Dewey Smith
Sworn To And Subscribed before
me this 3 day of March, 1977.
Drayton Beecker Smith II Notary
Public
My commission expires:
August 8, 1979
Admitted to probate and Ordered
Recorded August 22, 1977
Joseph W. Evans, Judge
Recorded August 22, 1977
B.J. Dunavant, Clerk
By: Jan Scott, D.C.
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