Originally appeared on E! Online
Jay Leno is taking legal action to protect his wife Mavis Leno’s financial assets amid her battle with dementia.
The former host of NBC’s Tonight Show has filed a petition in a Los Angeles court for protection of his wife’s estate. According to legal records obtained by E!, he submitted papers on January 26, revealing his medical condition! news. According to NBC News, the TV personality’s petition seeks a substituted judgment to approve the estate plan and implement a testamentary plan, which he believes would have worked had his wife been capable. Will implement it.
“Unfortunately, Mavis has been losing the ability and orientation to space and time for several years,” the documents state, according to the outlet. “Since Mavis’s current condition renders her unable to execute an estate plan, Leno has petitioned the court to be appointed conservator of his wife’s estate, petitioning for substitute judgment on her behalf. So that his wishes with respect to his disposition are ascertained and his property is realized after his death.”
When comedians get serious
Leno, 73, and his wife, 77, who have been married for 43 years, have never spoken publicly about his health battle. The comedian often referred to his wife affectionately on “The Tonight Show,” which he hosted between 1992 and 2009 and again between 2010 and 2014. She has also occasionally accompanied him to red-carpet events, most recently last November, when they attended the Improv Comedy Club’s 60th anniversary show in Hollywood.
According to NBC News, Leno said in the petition that he believed his wife agreed to appoint him conservator of her estate. A follow-up court hearing has been scheduled for April 9, records show.
He has also been battling health problems in recent years. In late 2022, while he was working to repair a clogged fuel line in his 1907 White Steam Car, one of his collectible vintage vehicles, his face, hands and arms were burned in a gasoline fire in his garage. The hands were severely burnt. Two months later, in January 2023, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that broke his collarbone, two ribs and kneecaps.
Following his injuries, the comedian underwent reconstructive surgery and in March 2023, he said on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s podcast “Fly on the Wall” that he had received “a brand new face” and “brand new ears”.
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