Anthony Bourdain not yet divorced when he died, potentially complicating estate plan

Anthony Bourdain's estranged wife, Ottavia Busia, filed his will in New York Surrogate Court in July. The celebrity chef committed suicide in June, while on a film shoot in France. He was 61.

Busia and Bourdain married in 2007 and had a daughter, Ariane. According to Bourdain, their relationship was always amicable, but they effectively led separate lives. They officially separated in 2016 and were in the process of divorcing when Bourdain died - and therein is a potential problem for Bourdain's estate. Because Busia was still officially his spouse, she may be entitled to more than he left her under his will. Litigation is a possibility.

Busia is the executor of his will. Bourdain appears to have had about $1.2 million in assets at the time of his death. This includes $425,000 in cash and savings, $500,000 in intangibles such as royalties and residuals from his books and television show, $35,000 in brokerage accounts, and $250,000 in personal property. 

Bourdain left the bulk of his assets to his daughter. The will also calls for the creation of a trust for her benefit. She is to receive a distribution at age 25, another distribution at 30, and the rest of the money will be released to her age 35. Distributing the money through the trust prevents Ariane from receiving her  inheritance in full at age 18, when she may not yet be mature enough to properly handle finances.