Chadwick Boseman Estate: No Will, Probate and a Family Dispute
Chadwick Boseman died on August 28, 2020 without a will. His widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in October 2020 to be administrator of his estate. News reports in July 2026 say she inherited 50% and his parents 25% each, and that his brothers, acting for their parents, have asked the court to remove her as administrator. The brothers’ request is an allegation in a petition, and the reports loaded for this page show no ruling.
Cite this page: Ridley Law, “Chadwick Boseman Estate: No Will, Probate and a Family Dispute,” ridleylawoffices.com/celebrity-estates/chadwick-boseman-estate/, October 2026.
This page covers the Boseman estate as news outlets reported it from court filings. It is part of our guide to celebrity estates. We name the outlet for each fact. Allegations are attributed to the people who made them.
Boseman died without a will
With no will, a statute decides who inherits and a court picks the administrator. TODAY reported on October 16, 2020 that Boseman didn’t leave behind a will when he died of colon cancer that August. ABC News and NBC News reported in July 2026 that the brothers’ petition says the same.
His wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, filed a probate case on Thursday, October 15, 2020, in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County, TODAY reported. In a four-page document, she asked the court to name her administrator of the estate with limited authority, and TODAY reported a hearing was set for November.
The couple had no children, and the actor’s parents, Leroy and Carolyn Boseman, were listed as surviving family members, TODAY reported. It also reported, citing his family, that the couple married months before his death. NBC News reported in 2026 that Ledward was appointed administrator. The sources loaded here don’t give the date of that order.
A spouse and two surviving parents share a childless estate
How a married person with no will and no children is divided depends on whether the property is community or separate, and on whether a parent survives. Under Prob. Code § 6401, the surviving spouse takes the decedent’s half of the community property, on top of the spouse’s own half under section 100. For separate property, the spouse takes everything if the decedent left no children, parents, siblings, or their children. If the decedent left no children but left a parent, the spouse takes one-half of the intestate estate, and the rest passes to the parent or parents equally under section 6402(b).
News reports say his widow inherited 50 percent and his parents 25 percent each. The statute produces that split for separate property when both parents survive. The reports don’t say how the estate was characterized, so this page doesn’t claim it was separate. Siblings take nothing while a parent is alive.
Community versus separate property decides the result. Fam. Code § 760 makes property acquired during marriage community property, and section 770 makes property owned before marriage, and gifts or inheritances received during it, separate. A couple married for a few months can hold mostly separate property. A couple married for decades usually holds mostly community property. Our page on community versus separate property in trust administration walks through it. See intestate succession for the full order of heirs.
The spouse had first priority to run the estate
A spouse who asks to serve as administrator ahead of everyone else is following the statute. Prob. Code § 8461 sets the priority order: the surviving spouse or domestic partner is first, then children, grandchildren and other issue, then parents, then brothers and sisters. Our page on letters of administration explains the process, and full versus limited authority explains the authority Ledward asked for.
Three reports, three different values for the estate
The reported estate values range from $938,500 to more than $3.8 million, and none is an audited inventory. TODAY reported that the 2020 petition estimated the estate at $938,500 and that it wasn’t clear whether he held other assets. NBC News reported in July 2026 that, according to his brothers’ filing, his widow reported more than $3.8 million in assets at the time of his death, and that the brothers say this left out royalties, residuals, and image and intellectual property rights. An NBC News opinion column in 2022 described a $2.3 million estate.
None of the reports reconciles those numbers. Court inventories are the place to look, and they can change as assets are found and valued.
Years later, his brothers asked the court to remove his widow
Boseman’s brothers, Derrick and Kevin, filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court in July 2026 asking the court to remove Ledward as administrator, ABC News and NBC News reported. NBC News reported that their parents assigned them to handle the parents’ interests in the estate. Everything below is an allegation in that petition, and the reports loaded for this page show no ruling.
ABC News reported that the petition says a Los Angeles court ordered Ledward to distribute the remaining half of the estate to his parents on October 4, 2022, and that she hasn’t done so or filed a petition for discharge. ABC News also reported that the petition lists royalties and residuals, image and intellectual property rights, real property and a previously undisclosed bank account at CNB. NBC News reported that it says Ledward made agreements with third parties about his image and intellectual property, and a separate agreement about a documentary, without consulting his parents.
The petition asks the court to compel Ledward to explain why she shouldn’t be held in contempt, to require an accounting, and to replace her with a private professional fiduciary and a forensic accountant, ABC News reported. ABC News said it reached out to representatives for Ledward and the brothers. The reports loaded here include no response from Ledward and no ruling.
Your own plan can set the split, the administrator and the image rights
A spouse who has been married for a short time may share the estate with parents when there is no will. Read what happens if you die without a will in California and how to make a valid will.
A will or trust lets you decide the split, name who serves, and say how your name and image rights are handled. A living trust also keeps assets out of probate, which ends the court’s role and the public filings. See wills and trusts explained.
More celebrity cases: the Prince estate, who also died without a will, the Michael Jackson estate, and the Robin Williams estate.
Frequently asked questions
What was Chadwick Boseman’s net worth when he died?
The reported estate values range from $938,500 to more than $3.8 million, and none is an audited inventory. TODAY reported that the 2020 petition estimated the estate at $938,500 and that it wasn’t clear whether he held other assets.
Did Chadwick Boseman have a will?
No. TODAY reported on October 16, 2020 that Boseman didn’t leave behind a will when he died of colon cancer that August. ABC News and NBC News reported in July 2026 that the brothers’ petition says the same.
Who filed for control of Chadwick Boseman’s estate?
TODAY reported that his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, filed a probate case on Thursday, October 15, 2020, in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles County.
Who inherits when a married person with no children dies without a will in California?
It depends on whether the property is community or separate, and on whether a parent survives. Under Prob. Code § 6401, the surviving spouse takes the decedent’s half of the community property, on top of the spouse’s own half under § 100.
Who can serve as administrator when there is no will?
Prob. Code § 8461 sets the priority order. The surviving spouse or domestic partner is first, then children, grandchildren and other issue, then parents, then brothers and sisters.
What is the dispute over Chadwick Boseman’s estate now?
ABC News and NBC News reported that Boseman’s brothers, Derrick and Kevin, filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court in July 2026. NBC News reported that their parents assigned them to handle the parents’ interests in the estate.
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