KIRK DOUGLAS LEFT $80M FORTUNE TO CHARITY!
SONS GET NOTHING AS MICHAEL SALUTES A LIFE ‘WELL LIVED’
HOLLYWOOD tough guy Kirk Douglas passed away on Feb. 5 at age 103, leaving behind an $80 million fortune — but his family won’t receive a cent because he cut them out of his will!
The dimple-chinned “Spartacus” legend died at his home in Los Angeles, surrounded by loved ones and the nurses who cared for him in recent years. Though he’s survived by wife Anne and three sons — Oscar-winning “Wall Street” actor Michael and producers Peter and Joel — none of them will inherit the screen hero’s estate because Kirk left it all to charity!
Announcing his father’s death in a statement, 75-year-old Michael said, “To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age [and] a humanitarian … But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad. “Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to bring peace to the planet.” The strapping star was born Issur Danielovitch Demsky to poverty-stricken Russian Jewish immigrants in New York, and his colorful life was a combination of adventure and tragedy.
Kirk served in the U.S.
Navy in World War II before launching a movie career playing gritty, hard-bitten characters, and his first marriage, to Diana Dill — mom of Michael and Joel — ended after eight years in 1951.
But his second marriage, to Anne Buydens, now 100, went the distance. Though the couple, who were parents to sons Peter and Eric, stayed together for decades, skirtchasing Kirk admitted he was far from faithful!
The boastful womanizer even listed his numerous sexual conquests in his memoir “The Ragman’s Son,” recounting flings with Tinseltown hotties Rita Hayworth, Patricia
Neal, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford AND her daughter Christina.
The straight shooter confessed: “I’m a son of a bitch, plain and simple.” During his lengthy career, Kirk appeared in more than 90 movies — including his Oscar-nominated roles as a
boxer in 1949’s “Champion,” a ruthless producer in 1952’s “The Bad and the Beautiful” and artist Vincent Van Gogh in 1956’s “Lust for Life.”
In 1955, Kirk became one of the first actors to launch an independent movie studio, and he credited his professional and personal financial success to Anne’s bookkeeping and business savvy!
But money and fame couldn’t protect him from the heartbreak of Eric’s overdose death at age 46 in 2004.
“It is the saddest part of my life,” Kirk revealed, admitting his great regret was that he didn’t try to understand his son better.
“I was not there, and that haunts me,” he confessed. Although he was sidelined by a severe stroke in 1996, Kirk bounced back and still managed to make public appearances — including one at the 2018 Golden Globes where he and Michael’s wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, presented an award.
Though Kirk kept his cash from his family, his generous estate will benefit various Los Angeles–area hospitals, including those assisting children and dementia patients, a homeless shelter, a project that builds playgrounds for kids and his Kirk Douglas Theatre.