Late screen legend Burt Reynolds’ son was intentionally left out of his will – but that’s because the actor already made him a trust.
Reynolds signed his will in October 2011, and left niece Nancy Lee Brown Hess as the personal representative of his entire estate, according to TMZ.
The move was somewhat surprising, considering Reynolds has a 30-year-old son, Quinton, he adopted with first wife Loni Anderson.
“I intentionally omit (Quinton) from this, my Last Will and Testament, as I have provided for him during my lifetime in my Declaration of Trust,” Reynolds’ will, which was filed in Florida on Monday, reportedly read.
TMZ reports that the document says Reynolds created a trust for Quinton years ago, and that he was likely omitted from the will in order to avoid estate taxes.
Reynolds died Sept. 6 at 82 of a heart attack. He was reportedly worth about $5 million at the time of his death.
The “Smokey and the Bandit” star was remembered fondly by Anderson in a statement to Fox News that praised his “great laugh.”
“Burt was a wonderful director and actor. He was a big part of my life for 12 years and Quinton’s father for 30 years. We will miss him and his great laugh,” the statement read.
The screen legend famously struggled with his finances, and declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996, though he came out of it two years later.
“I’ve lost more money than is possible because I just haven’t watched it,” he told Vanity Fair in 2015.
