David Bowie: A Tax Oddity

New York Post Page Six, David Bowie Leaves Iman Roughly Half of His Fortune:

David Bowie’s dying wish was to have his ashes scattered on Bali — in line with the island’s Buddhist customs — and his riches sprinkled on his wife and kids, according to his will filed Friday in Manhattan court. ...

Bowie also directed that his property and money be divided among his model wife Iman, his two children, Duncan Jones and Lexi Zahra Jones, a personal assistant and a former nanny.

The music icon was worth around $100 million when he died this month of cancer at 69, according to court papers.

Iman will receive roughly half of his fortune, plus the couple’s apartment on Lafayette Street in Manhattan. ...

By rock standards, David Bowie was a real tax oddity — because he was so savvy with his money.

He shopped around his legal residency — from London to Switzerland to Ireland — to get the best tax rate. He also peddled his famous Bowie Bonds, which leveraged his music catalogue to provide him with cash when he needed it.

• Bloomberg View, The Business of Being Bowie
• Forbes, A Peek Into The David Bowie Estate: His Legacy Extends Beyond Music
• New York Times, David Bowie’s Will Splits Estate Said to Be Worth $100 Million