In May 2018, Ric Ocasek and Paulina Porizkova announced their separation after 28 years of marriage. At the time, they said they had already been separated for several years. It was sad, but Paulina made an effort to say that they still loved each other and they were still a big part of each other’s lives, and I believed her. Everything got even sadder in September of this year when Ocasek passed away in the New York City home they still shared. Paulina was the one who found him. They were not legally divorced, and I guess I sort of assumed that even though they were estranged – but still living together – that Paulina would be his heir. That’s how marriages and estates work, generally. Not so fast – apparently, Ocasek wrote Paulina out of his will.
Ric Ocasek did not include his estranged wife Paulina Porizkova in his will. Ahead of his sudden death in September, the Cars frontman wrote a will instructing that Porizkova, 54, should not receive any of his belongings or money, claiming that the model had “abandoned” him amid their divorce proceedings, according to documents obtained by Page Six.
“I have made no provision for my wife Paulina Porizkova (‘Paulina’) as we are in the process of divorcing,” Ocasek, 75, wrote in the will. “Even if I should die before our divorce is final … Paulina is not entitled to any elective share … because she has abandoned me,” he added.
A rep for Porizkova did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Ocasek and Porizkova first met while filming the music video for The Cars’ song “Drive” in 1984. In May 2018, the couple — who share two adult sons together, Jonathan, 21, and Oliver, 25 — announced their split after 28 years of marriage. However, they were not legally divorced prior to his death.
This… sounds like a big legal fight. I wonder if Ocasek decided to do this against the advice of his lawyers, because YIKES. Also, I think I might slightly hate-respect how f–king petty this is. I mean, it’s literally Ocasek getting the final, petty word. She can’t respond to him. His final message to the woman he spent more than 25 years with was: you don’t deserve any of my money or belongings because you’re the bitch who abandoned me. And they were still living together!!! What are their sons going to do, kick their mom out of the house??
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I thought you can’t disinherit a spouse? It is next level petty. He had to get that jab in there.
I think it varies from state to state.
In a community property state, this is going to be a legal battle. Even in states that don’t have community property laws, some still have homestead laws where a spouse has rights to their marital primary residence even if they aren’t on title
I know someone this happened to. The husband died, the wife was never on the title, his kids from his first marriage nherited everything, and kicked the wife out. It’s horrible.
Their home in NYC has been on the market since their separation was announced. Last I looked it was going for $15M. Hopefully when it sells, she gets half of that.
Yeah, this doesn’t really work. The “Elective Share” is a thing she can “elect” by law.
In NY, the spouse can take either 1/3 or 1/2 of the estate depending on whether they have children. “Abandonment” is one of the few reasons to disinherit a spouse. In this case, I don’t know that she “abandoned” him because they were doing through a divorce, and couldn’t it be just as easily said that *he* abandoned *her* (I don’t know the grounds for the divorce)? But I disagree with what he did in principle — if the divorce proceedings had gone through, she would likely have been awarded some assets and/or income. So it makes no sense to me to allow someone to cut a spouse that they are still married to out of all assets, when they likely wouldn’t have been able to do so during a divorce. It would lead to an absurd result where a divorced spouse gets more assets than a spouse who is still married to the deceased. I can’t see Ocasek’s will being upheld in court.
It’s pretty common to limit the inheritance of a spouse – especially with second marriages when someone wants to leave the bulk to their children from an earlier marriage.
Also if someone is separated the first thing they want to do is write the other out of their will…but usually to make sure they get no more than they would have in the divorce.
What a spiteful old (dead) man. She bore his children, and spent the best part of her life so far with a nasty old man. She deserves at least a LITTLE bit for that. I hope her lawyer nixes it.
We don’t know what happened in their marriage. He could be a nasty person. She could be a nasty person. He could have suffered from mental health issues that distorted his thinking. We don’t know.
I met her once. She was not at all nice to my friends and I.
Oh wow. I hate to hear this. I used to worship her back in the super model days lol. Her Victoria’s Secret bedroom eyes are unmatched. But yeah you never know what famous people are really like. 🤷🏽♀️
Wow, eye opening!
Didn’t he abandon his first wife for Paulina? That’s rich. I bet he changed his will to exclude her when he was the most angriest with Paulina and never changed it back. Anyway, I’m sure she has her own money from her long career.
Right, who knows. It’s a little harsh to call him a nasty old man based on this which reading many of the comments here is a standard legal term, abandonment, which is used in New York state trusts, wills, and estate law and may well have been a standard phrase his legal counsel used in the documents given the status of being in the process of a divorce.
In the 80s Paulina Porizkova was a global superstar and could have married any man, she picked this not physically hot looking older dude, it seemed to work for decades, I’ll reserve judgment on who if anyone is the hero or villain of this tale.
Wow. I did a sharp intake breath on this. Sad to hear a happily married long standing couple ended up so unhappy.
I met them many many years ago when they were writing a children’s book together. She was incredibly beautiful and he was edgy and super skinny. They were so happy together then. It’s sobering what time does to any relationship.
Someone commented earlier that Paulina was not very nice. How did you find her?
@torontobeach, I’m always a bit skeptical to take “we met them once” stories as gospel. It’s entirely possibly when the earlier poster met her she was going through something, just in a bad mood, maybe genuinely being a crummy person, we don’t know. I’m sure there are lots of people who would come out and say something similar about me if I was famous despite my belief I’m nice and kind to everyone. Sometimes people catch us on really bad days that never register on our radar.
@TorontoBeach, She was lovely. Sweet and smart. She also was trying to land a book deal, so there’s that.
What a terrible way to end your life.
Legally I’m sure she will challenge the will but I’m not sure she will win.
I’m not sure she’ll challenge, I’d assume she is still wealthy from her own earnings and could want all the proceeds kids since both are adults.
That’s possible, especially if her relationship with the kids is good.
If all the money went to the kids (did he have children from his previous marriage?), there’s a chance her kids may let her stay in the family home.
He has four other boys, six total.
My husband (lawyer) said that because of the clear use of the word “abandonment,” this could actually have been something agreed upon so that the children inherit everything. Just a theory.
Yikes. I was always under the impression they still had a good friendship despite their divorce. This must hurt.
That’s what I thought too, but looking back I don’t really recall him saying anything at the time – just her commenting that they were still friends etc. Guess he was more upset and/or bitter. I wouldnt have expected a divorced spouse to receive the same as a widow but if they were “great friends” and had kids I would’ve either expected her to perhaps receive a home they lived in as hers until her death and then it would go to the kids or something to reflect the years & friendship. Even if he chose to leave her nothing, since they were split up, which also wouldn’t have surprised me, the phrasing is very cold and is pretty clearly sending her a message beyond the grave. Whatever happened, it’s sad.
She’ll probably get the house, it’s likely she would have contributed financially to that as well. She found the body of course, wonder if things had gotten better since he’d redone his will.
They were still living in the same house. AND she was still acting as his caretaker. Good enough to make him dinner but not good enough for him to take care of, apparently…
Sounds like some dementia, to me. The skewed perspective that she abandoned him is what makes me think there that.
That’s what I thought too; I don’t know her but felt awful for her when I read it; Jesus Christ, and she took care of him ’till the end…
Agreed. What a public slap in the face when she was still his caretaker. She basically quit at the peak of her career so she did give up earnings. Saying she had money from before. Well. Before was 25 or 28 years ago. Her job it sounds like was his wife. She deserves something for that time. I have read before that her sons really put her on a pedestal so hopefully, if she does not get anything from the will they will take care of her. But it should not be up to them to do that.
Same. I mean, it definitely could just be a perfectly intellectually sound yet emotionally dysfunctional person sending one more message posthumously, but it also reads like someone with paranoia related to neurological disorder.
I don’t believe it’s dementia. We don’t know the whole story of their relationship and divorce. Claiming dementia is a bit far-fetched, and shouldn’t be thrown around loosely
For some reason, I thought they had stayed happily married despite the big age difference (and the percieved disparity in looks). I’m totally out of the loop…
Low key petty is throwing away the ketchup container before it’s empty knowing your spouse is will think it’s still in there when she goes to put some on her fries.
This is full on assholery. I hope he had some mental illness to explain such awful behavior. What a terrible thing to leave as your legacy to your family.
agree
This is horrific
Im sure the kids will have a trust with the money
and maybe she doesn’t need Rics money
But
The legacy…wow how awful
Maybe I’m missing something but I would expect most people would change their will when divorcing. But I’m sure this will go to court since the division of property hadn’t happened before Ric’s death.
Yeah I agree, I don’t see this as petty like everyone is saying, it is what most people would do if they are getting divorced and their lawyer advises them to change their will. The state laws will account for the fact that property division might not have happened yet in the divorce so that she still gets a fair share of the estate.
I think changing the will is a little weird if they’ve been married for 28 years and have kids and no cheating was involved.. I understand divorce changes things, but when it’s such a long marriage, I figure the guy would be a little more…generous in spirit.
It’s one thing to change your will, even to put in you leave nothing to an ex-spouse. The “petty” part is putting in that “she abandoned me”. FFS the woman was taking care of him post-heart surgery! She lived in the house and made him meals. SMH… there had to be something else going on, other than just his heart. This smacks of dementia; I’ve seen some friend’s parents, sweetest people you’d ever meet, turn *really* mean and spiteful for periods due to dementia. At the beginning, it’d be just episodic, and later on, more permanent until their death.
The abandonment language is likely to satisfy a legal requirement. I’m not familiar with NY estate laws, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you have to allege abandonment of the marriage to write a current spouse out of a will.
@LNG I think you are right, it is a legal term for an estate law situation, abandonment, not a cry from Ric’s heart or whatever.
You aren’t missing anything. They were in the process of dividing the marital estate. Doing this protects his interests after death, otherwise, his death would erase whatever was being agreed to in the divorce proceedings, and preserves more for his children. Otherwise, the spouse takes all. And yes, the language must be harsh to stand up to challenge.
Good point on the harshness being needed. None of us know what really went on and therefore how much of an asshole he’s being. I’m sure she’ll get a lot under communal property. Re dementia, it’s possible, but he’s a bit young for that.
Lightpurple-
thanks for YOUR PERSPECTIVE. You are right that from a legal POV this makes sense
I still have an emotional gut reaction that is: HOW AWFUL HOW SAD
For the commenter who said 74 is young for dementia, my mom is 73 and has it….
Yeah. If your divorcing, in good health or bad, with a living will existing, your lawyers will have you change it.
He may have the finally say but it also makes him look petty and gives great insight into his personality. I can see why Paulina dropped him.
Dying to understand the dynamics of their relationship. How did she abandon him? Is it because of the divorce?
I think I read somewhere that he was in the early stages of some type of dementia and also had severe heart problems. This may not be correct but I did read this somewhere.
Perhaps she did abandon him? Why are we so sure he’s some bitter old bat? Maybe she broke his heart.
Then why were they still living together after several years of separation? This is very strange.
But really, old people… they can be crazy. I’ve seen this in my family and continue to see it with my father who’s about to turn 80. Character flaws are magnified and his raging self-centeredness makes it absolutely impossible to talk rationally. It’s not new but so much worse now.
@Emmy, that is what is happening with my mother as well. It was difficult to recognize her dementia in its early stages because it was simply her usual quirks and flaws on steroids. It’s been very hard (and heartbreaking) to separate the person from the disease because I can see how all the raging negativity and paranoia are based on her actual personality, just magnified beyond all reason or reality.
Yes. My dad does not have dementia but cirrhosis of the liver which impairs cognitive function in later stages. My mom keeps saying he wasn’t like this before and I keep reminding her that yes, he was. He was a selfish man who was always right, always always. But now he doesn’t realize it at all anymore and actually thinks he’s the literal center of the universe. It’s insane.
They weren’t living together. Read the previous articles. It states the sons were staying with Ric and Paulina came over around noon on the day she found him.
I’m not reading this as she can’t live in a house that belongs to their children. She just can’t be the owner. If he wants to leave it all to their kids or someone else, what’s the issue here? His will sounds like something a rich, divorced guy would do, except the divorce part wasn’t finalized. I would never expect a divorced couple to include each other it their respective wills.
Because they weren’t yet divorced, he was still happy to have her living with him at his beck and call (bringing him coffee in the mornings) and they had been together over 30 years and for sure he wasn’t honest or upfront about the fact that he intended to humiliate her in his will. That is my problem with it. It’s not okay to be an asshole, dead or alive.
@Ali not trying to challenge you because I honestly don’t know, but was it ever confirmed that she was the one who was taking care of him, getting him coffee, preparing his meals, etc.? It’s possible that she cheated on him and even though she still lived there (I’m assuming it’s a large apartment given his wealth), they might not have had much contact. She could have been in a relationship with another man…? He could have had aides or nurses 24/7 for all we know.
I just feel badly about judging him when no one truly knows what went on behind closed doors. But as I said I never followed him closely so it’s possible that he confirmed she was his caretaker and I just didn’t know it. It’s also terribly sad if it was due to dementia. In any case, it sounds like he has quite a few children to leave his estate to, and she must have plenty of money from her own career.
@lorelei – she said she was bringing him “his morning coffee” when she found him dead. Her words, not mine.
I understand the legal reasoning and legal jargon not being actual feelings but my gut says that’s a shitty way to do things to someone you’ve spent an entire life with whom you still have taking care of you, no matter what advice your attorney may give you.
Plus he has 4 other children with 2 previous wives so all the property including this home might have to be sold and the assets split among his 6 children.
Damn I never knew this.
There are a ton of legal issues here that people don’t understand yet are passing judgment.
First, when it comes to real estate, the type of deed determines what happens to property before any will does. Depending on the type of deed, she could now own some of the property outright because it passes outside the estate or she could own some property jointly with the estate, or she might have no right to it at all except through the estate. Second, They were divorcing. A good divorce lawyer would recommend changing your will immediately to protect your assets in case something happens before everything is finalized. And the standard language used is bleak and harsh. Even if you write a kid out of a will because you set up a separate trust fund, the legal language is often very harsh to conform with state laws. If the state laws contain provisions that allow a legal wife to inherit notwithstanding the will, then it doesn’t matter what he wrote.
@Lightpurple – thanks for the legal perspective. When my grandma passed I was really hurt because she left me a dollar; I didn’t know until a check came in the mail. But, my elders explained she had to put something like that in so that the property she left to my aunts and uncle couldn’t be contested? Anyway, after the first reaction, all I wanted was memories, which I have, and I know she loved me. Luckily none of us are rich enough that we’d ever fight over “assets.”
Lightpurple
Loving your insight
Thanks!
Very helpful, thank you!
Yikes…
Abandoned him but they still lived together in some capacity in that she was the one who found his body?
That’s not petty. It’s douchey and I hope it isn’t legally binding.
In effect, he was trying to use his will to accomplish what he wouldn’t have been able to in divorce court. After all those years together, no divorce court would have left her with nothing. So it’s the height of asshollery to try to do that with a will.
Met in ‘84. So, basically together 35 years. Petty is an understatement.
I’m not so sure she will challenge as she’s wealthy on her own and could have known she was not due to receive anything. From what she wrote after his passing my impression was that she was caring for him post op but they were not living together and still spent a lot of time together as a family.
By most accounts he was a difficult person. Could be he wrote the will and comment shortly after they separated and he was feeling bitter, then never got around to updating it. I don’t think anyone expected him to pass away after whatever surgery he had.
I want to look half as good as her at 54!
I do not believe they lived together. She was at his house because he had surgery and she was helping him recover. I read the statement she put out after his death and it seemed to me she had moved out. Not defending what he did but I do not think they lived together.
Jesus…..
I am a little confused here about this story. I work in a law firm in Chicago and if you are legally separated and all the assets have been split , then your ex spouse can rewrite their will and leave his/her estate to whoever they want. If you are not legally separated and just living apart then the estate goes to the spouse. It might take awhile through probate court but the living spouse would get the full estate.
Since I don’t know them or what went down in their marriage and I won’t judge Ric for doing this.
This is a good point. I haven’t kept up with them in a decade so I had no idea they had split or that he has passed. They looked like the classic “I give it five years” couple when the first wed, but they lasted and then later looked every picture of the healthy celebrity couple. Now this! Things can change and not be what they appear for better or for worse. Age differences can be more challenging later in life. We don’t know what happened.
I agree with the above poster – he was trying to do with his will what a divorce court would have never allowed. Which was that she’d get her half.
Maybe that’s the real reason they weren’t legally divorced?
Married that long, her name is probably on some if not all of their property. Google says NY is an “equitable distribution” state, not community property.
This does come across as very petty but they were divorcing and had been separated for three years at that point according to an article I read. I’m sure she checked in on him from time to time but I dunno if they were really living together? He had had surgery just a few weeks prior so maybe she had moved in to act as his caregiver while he recuperated? That’s not moving back in together though. Who knows what went down though he didn’t seem like a fun guy to be married to if we go by Paulina’s description (moody and aloof and loving his nickname “master of doom”).
She’ll probably contest it and it will probably get messy but they were in the process of divorcing. She can’t be that surprised. I think any good divorce lawyer would advise their client to change their will to protect assets and what not.
My ex said I’d receive my “share” only if we were still living together and I was caring for him.
Also put in a clause that anyone who attempts to challenge the will would be “deemed dead to him and receive nothing”.
Good times ~
Wow. Why would you live with someone your divorcing?
I’m an RN and he’d hoped that I’d care for him as he aged…
What a crock!
A friend of mine had to do it for almost two years. They had kids, both parties were advised to not move out, and neither had the financial means to do so anyway. It was a disaster, but it happens a lot.
Sorry that happened to you Jenny!
Aww, thank you Col ~ I’ve finally recovered from the abuse.
Hell hath no fury like a bitter old man.
I’m thinking this is a legal change to the will made before the divorce was finalized.
She is wealthy in her own right. He had 6 children, 2 with her.
I bet he thought to leave all to be divided between his children, assuming that Paulina had enough of her own money to keep going and most likely he left the primary house to their kids assuming their sons would keep the house for her or, sell it and divide that money.
She is not going to end up on the streets begging for food at any rate.
And, after 35 years together…to be divorcing as he hit 70+ y/o I bet he did feel ” abandoned” by her. Extremely wealthy men married to women far younger, often assume that the wife will ride things out until the end, granted with a lot of personal staff to do the cares. Really, at their level of wealth, I would think that they would have several homes and often be separate to follow their own interests, possibly for long periods but, she filed for divorce. She was the one who made all the public claims of “getting along, still friends, etc.”
He was in the process of divorcing and his lawyers would insist he change his will to cover his ass until the divorce was finalized. The wording strikes me as Legal Advice, to be as brutal and clear as possible to shut down any attempts at challenging it, if he passed before finalizing their divorce.
I saw an article saying his assets were around $5Million which I find impossible to believe. He was a major A+ star for decades. I think a trust must be in place somehow.
Why are the terms of his will being made public anyhow?
I assumed wills were private/personal info.
He doesn’t get to leave their house to the kids if it was jointly owned, which I assume it was. She may have been out earning him at the time of purchase.
I read in another article they had two homes, one in NYC which has been on the market for awhile at $15M and another in the Hamptons? I assume her name is on the deed for at least one of them? She should get money from the sale of them if so.
Wills become public record during the probate process.
The pettiness comes from the “because she abandoned me” verbiage, not from cutting her out of the will. They were divorcing so why would she get anything beyond what she was already getting as part of the divorce settlement, which was probably substantial?
Since he abandoned his previous wife for Paulina, that verbiage is definitely douchey.
Abandonment is a specific legal term under New York state law. It’s something put in a legal document with the advice of counsel well versed in inheritance laws of the jurisidiction.
While I understand why the term was used in the will, the factual evidence of their living situation will have to be considered as well. He can put abandoned all he wants in a will, but if she was living with him and caring for him in his final days, that term will seem meaningless. Unless there is case law that states just the simple fact of getting a divorce constitutes abandonment, this likely will not hold up if challenged.
She was bringing him coffee when she found him dead. I hope she has a good relationship with her kids. If everyone lawyers up the estate ends up getting eaten up by the lawyers fees leaving not much for the family.
My Mom recently took my brother out of her will. I hope she lives forever but when the day comes. I am sure he will be a nightmare for me going after her estate. He’s a POS and a grifter.
My dad did the same to my brother, a real POS and his wife… don’t even get me started. My dad hasn’t talked to either of them for about 35 yrs. He not only has language IN the will/living trust stating this (as well as their kids not getting anything as my dad has never had *any* relationship with any of them), but my dad also put it all down in his own handwriting as well (and put in other financial docs. stating what my brother pulled out of him before all the problems is all he is going to get…period).
I hope my dad continues to live well and thrive, too, but when the day comes, I don’t see how my brother could even try and challenge it, but I wouldn’t put it past him.
He probably updated/changed the will because he was going in for surgery and you never know how that will go.
Just read that he changed the will very recently, end of Aug.
I am wandering why the estate value is so low, something like 2 million which is a very low
amount for his rock star of his status. By “abandoning’ it probably means she found someone else
prior to divorce. And he looks so sad in the picture standing next to her.
Maybe he has a lot of his money in trusts or other entities, if he structured his financial holdings that way the estate itself might not be valued as high.
Ouch! That makes me sad for both of them and the children. I hope they were at peace before he died.
This doesn’t set right with me. If she had abandoned him, then why was she willing to care for him post surgery?!? I think this is his petty way of being upset that she found another man.
Another old white man who is petty that the world won’t miss. Onto the next, pls
I’ve never liked her, but he sounds very bitter and perhaps not completely with it. I imagine that she will do fine legally and financially.
What a sh** thing to do to her. All of those years couldn’t have been that bad or they’d have divorced a lot earlier. And it’s disrespectful to his sons that he couldn’t even leave something for their mother. 😡
She is supernaturally beautiful. She also wrote a fiction book (that I have not read) . This has to be traumatic for her.
I hope she has loving family and professional support to recover from the loss as well as this awful painful document gone public.
First off, I don’t believe they were still living together. He was still living in the marital home where he died, but she had moved out. She was coming over to check in on him after he’d had surgery, and found his body that way. That leads me to believe their separation, and pending divorce, was amicable.
If they were already legally separated then property and asset division may already have taken place. The harsh “abandonment” language in his will was to insure that whatever process had started was honored, so no contesting could happen if he died before the divorce finalized (which unfortunately happened).
I don’t think there will be trouble as Paulina seems chill and has her own wealth, and by all accounts has good relations with her stepsons. They all follow each other on soc media; she took a vacation with her ex-DIL (Ocasek’s DIL) and step-grandkids just a few months ago per her ig, so they are all very close still.
Hell hath no fury like a scorned man.
This is so petty and vengeful. She took care of him until his last day but still felt like she abandoned him. She gave up her peak earning years when she married him and had his kids and now he tries to cut her off financially. She couldn’t even use whatever prenup they had since he died before divorce. Hope this is overturned and she gets some settlement out of it. Shouldn’t speak ill of the dead but such a d*ck move. She’s still young and vibrant enough to fully start over and bet she’ll have the last laugh ( or whatever is appropriate for these circumstances).
You are so right! He just sounds like such a mean and petty, self-centered Ahole, imo. She deserves half of everything they made in the last 33 years or however long they were together, raising their kids. I have no problem speaking ill of the dead if they deserve it, and he certainly seems to. People reap what they sow, and if you want people to speak nicely about you after you die, then act like a person that people admire and respect. She’s got a lot more class than he has.
She was 18 when she met him, he was 40, on his second marriage with 4 kids. He left his second wife to marry her, and from all accounts, she gave it her all, had two sons, and never said a mean thing about him in any way. She’s 54 years old now, and basically spent her entire life with him. Clearly at some point, they grew apart, and she felt she wanted to separate, but even in her announcement of such, she was gracious and kind. She also, apparently, went over to help care for him after his latest surgery, and yet he says she “abandoned” him. Frankly, he sounds like a narcissist and self centered jerk who was angry at being left alone at an age when he could no longer just rush out to bed some new young thing. His actions and words smack of bitter pettiness. She could have had anyone, and she chose him, and I believe she was committed, and not just looking for money or fame. She already had both, and was on track to become a mega superstar in the modeling world. To treat her so disrespectfully when she basically spent her entire adult life with is beyond disgusting. He also apparently cut out some of his kids as well.
Their townhouse in NYC (in which they lived and he died) is on the market for 13.9 million. At the beginning of the year it was on the market for 15.25.
Ric died on Paulina’s boyfriend’s birthday.
She says lovely things about him on her IG. Read the Rolling Stone’s account of his death..she took care of him till the end. I don’t understand why he was so harsh to her. Depression? Illness?
Just throwing this out there as I’m an attorney and focus on estates and such: as a few others have noted, “abandonment” has a specific legal meaning and in some states (NY included) it’s the only way to prevent your spouse from inheriting at least part of your estate. That (not pettiness) is probably why his will said she “abandoned” him. Given that they’ve been separated for years, I would not be surprised if RO and PP had both drafted wills to this effect so that their adult children can inherit everything directly. It’s actually not an uncommon avenue to take in situations like this (drama free separation, adult kids, etc.). I strongly suspect this was a wealth management/estate planning move, not something spiteful.