Bitter rift over Benny Hill’s £7.5million fortune revealed after racy comedian’s ‘2nd will for stars and pals rejected’
A BITTER feud has erupted over Benny Hill’s £7.5million fortune, after claims his dying wish to leave cash to close friends and TV co-stars was binned – and the entire pot handed to family members he barely knew.
The legendary comic, once one of Britain’s most-loved entertainers, died alone in his rented Teddington flat in 1992 – aged 68 – with piles of uncashed cheques and leftover food beside him.
Despite global fame and enormous wealth, Hill was a notorious penny-pincher who glued his shoes back together, bought discounted groceries and left behind a modest flat instead of a mansion.
And while his official 1961 will named now-deceased family members, close pals insist he later penned a second, informal version, giving specific sums to longtime colleagues and friends including Sue Upton, Dennis Kirkland, Louise English, Bob Todd and Henry McGee.
But the document never made it through probate – either rejected for not being signed and witnessed properly, or simply lost by the star.
“It’s a very sad state of affairs,” said Upton, 70, a former Hill’s Angel, who worked with him for more than a decade and became one of his dearest friends.
“Benny never saw his family, he wasn’t close to them at all. The people who he worked with for many many years on the show, we were his family.”
“He used to say to me ‘you haven’t got to worry about money Little Sausage, you’re in my will’… but Benny was the world’s worst person for paperwork.”
She added: “I was told there was a piece of paper with people’s names and amounts and I was on that list… but it wouldn’t stand up in court so that was that.”
Instead, Hill’s £7.5million estate – worth over £20million today – went to seven nieces and nephews, most of whom had little or no relationship with him, the Daily Mail reports.
One niece, Madeleine Sailani, 68, who lives in a plush £1.3million pad near the sea in Hove, told reporters: “I think there’s been some confusion,” and refused to speak about the inheritance or an upcoming Channel 5 documentary on her famous uncle.
Another, Jonathan Hill, 62, resides in a £1million top-floor flat on one of Edinburgh’s most exclusive streets.
His sister, Caroline Hill, 70, was last listed at a £1.6million house in Wandsworth, South West London.
The rest of the beneficiaries remain in Australia, where Hill’s sister Diana lived until her death.
TV co-star Louise English, however, dismissed any mystery over the missing millions.
“I don’t think the money disappeared… I believe he left lots behind and his family did very well.”
She added: “He wasn’t lonely… He just kept himself to himself and didn’t go to any showbizzy parties and I suppose that’s why people didn’t get to know him.”
Hill’s legacy has become as controversial as his comedy.
His bawdy brand of slapstick and innuendo-packed sketches, once watched by more than 21 million viewers, has been largely axed from modern screens – slammed for racist, sexist and vulgar content.
His 1969 special reportedly pulled more viewers than the moon landing, and he counted Michael Jackson among his fans, even appearing in The Italian Job and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
But by the 1980s, his star faded, and Hill died alone in 1992 – his body discovered two days later by loyal friend Kirkland.
Hill was laid to rest in his hometown of Southampton, but even in death, there was scandal – as grave robbers smashed open his coffin, rumoured to be hunting valuables buried with him.
Now, as Channel 5’s ‘The Cancellation of Benny Hill’ revisits his colourful life and controversial legacy, his closest friends are left mourning not just the man – but the fact that his final wishes may never have been fulfilled.
“Talk is cheap,” Upton said.
“If you want to leave something to somebody in your will, do it in the proper manner.”
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