Just about any third party with even casual knowledge of Harper Lee and her life can readily see why the famed American author’s estate is now commanding considerable interest following her death two years ago.
For starters, Lee’s personal biography was centrally marked by a reclusive nature that reveled in privacy rather than disclosure. By all accounts, Lee chose to live her life in a sheltered and financially sparse manner. She never married or had any children, and is survived by only a niece and three nephews.
Moreover, she shopped at discount stores and dined at low-cost eateries despite having a personal estate that one recent media account stated is “estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars.”
Much of that is linked with the enduring popularity of the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird, of course, which reportedly brings in copyright royalties of about $3 million annually.
The disposition of Lee’s financial holdings understandably fascinates the public, with many media outlets seeking to shed some light on the writer’s estate.
The New York Times has been central in such efforts. The paper recently challenged the sealing of Lee’s will, arguing that the artist’s privacy expectations were outweighed by the public’s right to know the details of what is customarily deemed a public record. The will was subsequently unsealed, just last month.
People who might have been expecting dramatic revelations from the document will be disappointed. The Times notes the will’s opaque character and “lack of transparency.” The document — written just days before Lee’s death — simply provides that assets be assigned to a trust, with sparse details provided.
Some controversy does attach to the estate, though, owing to the seemingly significant powers granted to Lee’s lawyer at the time of her death. That attorney is the personal representative for the estate, and has been heavily involved in the author’s financial affairs in recent years.
We shall duly pass along to readers any material developments that become known in the future regarding Lee’s estate.