Dudley Moore died aged 66 (Image: Getty)
Comedian and actor not only left behind a huge legacy but also a whopping fortune. The Golden Globe award winner left a surprising windfall to his two sons who he had not seen in years before his death.
The star left an estimated £5million fortune, with the bulk of it being given to his offspring, Patrick and Nicholas. At the time of his death it was reported that he hadn’t seen his grown-up children in three years.
Nicholas’s mother – Dudley’s fourth wife Nicole Rothschild – was reportedly also left a small fortune in the will, even though she was asked to stay away from his funeral.
Family members of the celebrity were surprised to see anything left of his money as Dudley was alleged to have frittered away much of his fortune on cocaine and prostitutes at the height of his fame.
He was also forced to pay out for medical expenses as he battled degenerative brain disorder progressive supranuclear palsy, which eventually led to his death at the age of 66.
The actor died aged 66 (Image: Getty)
In November 1999, Moore made his first public appearance since disclosing his illness, reading poetry, alongside Julie Andrews, at a benefit concert in Philadelphia for the charity Music for All Seasons.
At first Moore struggled, but soon he settled in and began to joke and ad-lib. He then received a standing ovation, for what was to be his last performance.
The actor pointed out some of his symptoms from the illness, including that his vision had become hazy, his walking was impaired and speech slurred.
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His illness later caused pnemonia which was the cause of his death, in March 2002. Before that, it progressed quickly causing him to get around in a wheelchair.
Moore began his career in Beyond the Fringe, a groundbreaking satirical review, and entered into a double act with the comedian Peter Cook before making a successful transfer to in such films as 10 and Arthur.
In Beyond the Fringe, which played for two years in London and moved to Broadway, Moore teamed with Cook, Alan Bennett, who later became a successful playwright, and Jonathan Miller, now an opera producer and medical doctor.