Canadian figure skating legend Toller Cranston left an estate of $6 million and a seven-figure art collection – but no will, says Blacklock’s Reporter..Cranston died one of the wealthiest 1970s sports figures in Canada..“The administration of Toller’s estate was complex because he died in Mexico without a will,” wrote Justice Robert Smith of Ontario Superior Court..Cranston’s three siblings have been engaged in litigation over the estate for six years. Cranston had no spouse or children..Cranston died at San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 2015. He was 65. The Court was told he employed a cook, gardener and chauffeur and left an estate worth at least $6,258,520..Cranston also accumulated $1.6 million worth of art, two Mexican real estate properties, a total $429,958 in cash deposits and “18,000 decorative items.”.“Toller employed a staff of approximately six persons who helped maintain his properties, cook his meals and drive him as needed,” wrote Smith..“The assets included 400 very valuable paintings.”.The six-time Canadian champion turned professional after winning bronze at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria..“My parents did not help me financially,” Cranston told an Ottawa Citizen reporter in 2010..“I had to pay for me, which meant every conceivable expense known to man within figure skating.”.Cranston, born in Hamilton, Ont., complained in 2003 to a Globe & Mail reporter his own mother left him out of her will..“This was a final harpoon from the grave. I want to deflect this last dart that struck me between the eyes,” he said at the time..Cranston had financed his own ice shows including a 1977 Broadway production at Radio City Music Hall, worked as a professional coach and costume designer, and in 1994 successfully sued the CBC for $60,000 in damages when the Crown broadcaster dropped him as a commentator..The Sports Hall of Famer was given the Order of Canada in 1976..The Canadian Press once praised Cranston as “the world’s most innovative skater.”.One trustee and receiver commenting on the Cranston family litigation called the case typical of large estates left without a will..“Dying without a will is not helpful to anyone,” wrote Brandon Smith of Concord, Ont..“Many affluent family members have disagreements over exactly how the family wealth should be handled. These fights can become very public and expensive.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
Canadian figure skating legend Toller Cranston left an estate of $6 million and a seven-figure art collection – but no will, says Blacklock’s Reporter..Cranston died one of the wealthiest 1970s sports figures in Canada..“The administration of Toller’s estate was complex because he died in Mexico without a will,” wrote Justice Robert Smith of Ontario Superior Court..Cranston’s three siblings have been engaged in litigation over the estate for six years. Cranston had no spouse or children..Cranston died at San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 2015. He was 65. The Court was told he employed a cook, gardener and chauffeur and left an estate worth at least $6,258,520..Cranston also accumulated $1.6 million worth of art, two Mexican real estate properties, a total $429,958 in cash deposits and “18,000 decorative items.”.“Toller employed a staff of approximately six persons who helped maintain his properties, cook his meals and drive him as needed,” wrote Smith..“The assets included 400 very valuable paintings.”.The six-time Canadian champion turned professional after winning bronze at the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria..“My parents did not help me financially,” Cranston told an Ottawa Citizen reporter in 2010..“I had to pay for me, which meant every conceivable expense known to man within figure skating.”.Cranston, born in Hamilton, Ont., complained in 2003 to a Globe & Mail reporter his own mother left him out of her will..“This was a final harpoon from the grave. I want to deflect this last dart that struck me between the eyes,” he said at the time..Cranston had financed his own ice shows including a 1977 Broadway production at Radio City Music Hall, worked as a professional coach and costume designer, and in 1994 successfully sued the CBC for $60,000 in damages when the Crown broadcaster dropped him as a commentator..The Sports Hall of Famer was given the Order of Canada in 1976..The Canadian Press once praised Cranston as “the world’s most innovative skater.”.One trustee and receiver commenting on the Cranston family litigation called the case typical of large estates left without a will..“Dying without a will is not helpful to anyone,” wrote Brandon Smith of Concord, Ont..“Many affluent family members have disagreements over exactly how the family wealth should be handled. These fights can become very public and expensive.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.,dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/nobby7694
