Comedian Sean Hughes' £4 million fortune will be donated to charity following a decade-long court battle over his will. The entire wealth of the Never Mind the Buzzcocks star has been awarded to homelessness charity Shelter.
Hughes died at age 51 in 2017. His will left his £1.8 million north London home and two other properties valued at £2.15 million to Shelter, a charity he avidly supported. However, ambiguous wording in the will, drafted using an online platform without legal assistance, led to a High Court dispute.
The main issue was that Hughes bequeathed 'my three houses to Shelter' but only owned one home outright; the other two were held by a company of which he was the sole shareholder. Although his family agreed the shares should go to Shelter, a judge's ruling was required.
Master Iain Pester determined that the 'correct construction of the will' was for the shares to pass to Shelter. Had he ruled otherwise, the properties would have entered Hughes' residuary estate for his wider family.
Andy Harris, Shelter's director of income generation, said: 'Sean Hughes was a passionate supporter of Shelter's work, and we are enormously grateful for the generous gift left in his will. We have worked closely with Sean's family to ensure his wishes are honoured.'
Hughes rose to fame in the 1980s alternative comedy scene, winning the Perrier Comedy Award at 24, and later became a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He died from a cardiac arrest in October 2017, having battled late-stage liver disease.
