Sir Bruce Forsyth 'leaves entire £17 million fortune to his third wife, Wilnelia Mercad'

The TV legend died on Friday at the age of 89

10:40, 20 AUG 2017

The TV entertainer died on Friday at the age of 89 leaving behind his 59-year-old wife and six children.

It is believed Brucie left a considerable fortune - estimated to be in the region of £17 million.

His wealth includes a £6.2 million company, his £4 million Surrey mansion - and two Puerto Rican homes believed to be worth £2 million, among other assets and earnings.

Wilnelia will be inheriting the fortune from her husband who she married all the way back in 1983 - however reports have suggested she will distribute the fortune among Bruce’s six children and nine grandchildren.

“Bruce hated the idea of his estate getting devalued by inheritance tax and spoke about that publicly before his death,” a source close to the late TV host told the Daily Star on Sunday.

"But leaving everything to Wilnelia means he avoids inheritance tax. He is likely to have done that as he trusted her to distribute the wealth among their relatives,” the source claims.

"And because she can give a significant amount away tax-free to their family, it means they end up with more,” the source adds.

Sir Bruce had previously told the Radio Times that he thought inheritance tax was “over the top”.

He said: "I think your inheritance should go to your children more than back to the country that you've lived in.”

He added: "I'm not saying you don't owe the country something, of course you owe your country a lot for living there all those years. But I think it can be a bit over the top."

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/sir-bruce-forsyth-leaves-entire-11020231