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David Bowie’s Ashes to be Spread in Bali. And Details of His Will Have Been Made Public.

A three-hour plane hop east from where I am now in Singapore is the Indonesia island of Bali, a Hindu enclave within the most populated Muslim nation on earth. I’ve been to Bali twice, so I can attest that it’s one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever visit: green, peaceful (if discount those horrible terrorist bombings) and, in much of the island, supremely spiritual.

It’s here that David Bowie asked that his ashes be spread. According to the New York Post, his will states:

I direct that my executors shall arrange for my remains to be taken to the country of Bali and to be cremated there in accordance with the Buddhist rituals of Bali. If that is not practical, then I direct that my executors shall arrange for my remains to be cremated and my ashes scattered in Bali.

Where, exactly? Doesn’t matter. There are a million holy places in Bali, every one capable of melting the heart of a Christopher Hitchens-level atheist. I mean, just look at the temple of Tanah Lot.

tanahlot-sunset

Then there’s Lake Batur.

lake-batur-500

Bowie always had a thing for Buddhism and Balinese/Indonesian art and architecture. For example, he once owned this villa on the Caribbean Island of Mustique.

Bowie - Mustique

Bowie had quite a bit of money when he died, perhaps as much as $100 million, thanks to some very savvy tax planning and his early investment dubbed Bowie Bonds. When a will is executed, it becomes part of the legal record, so details were bound to be revealed. This will is no exception.

Iman receives approximately half of Bowie’s estate, including the apartment on Lafayette Street in Manhattan. The rest will go to his 44-year-old filmmaker son Duncan (the former Zowie, his son by his ex-wife Angela), his teenage daughter, Lexi Zahara Jones (amount unknown, but probably in the $20 million range).

Meanwhile, longtime personal assistant, Corinne Coco Schwab will receive $2 million with a further $1 million reserved for Marion Skenea, a Duncan’s former Swiss nanny. That’s it. Angie gets nada.

Duncan gets his $25 million immediately while Lexi will have to wait until she’s 25 (she’s 15 now), although she’ll be able to ask for reasonable amounts for living expenses and education until then. She will also receive property: her father’s house at Little Tonshi Mountain in Ulster County in upstate New York, also when she turns 25.

Finally, a few million was carved out for something called Opposum, Inc., although no one has ever heard of it and no one know what it is. It’s something that Bowie set up in 2004. But what?

Additional reporting here and here.

 

 

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38031 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

2 thoughts on “David Bowie’s Ashes to be Spread in Bali. And Details of His Will Have Been Made Public.

  • Just a heads up on a couple typos in the final few paragraphs.

    Reply

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