Saturday, December 19, 2009

Triumph of the will: Aussie music exec's 'husband' loses fight for his fortune


A lot of our pals in Sydney are raising a toast to their late friend, legendary music executive Peter Ikin, after his toyboy lover lost a bid for his £7 million fortune.

Poor Petey, pal to Elton, Rod and Billuy died in November 2008-- in what he'd find a deliciously mysterious and scandalous fashion-- in a Paris hotel room at 62, possibly after a fall down a flight of stairs, and shortly after marrying a young Frenchman named Alexandre Despallieres. Before word had spread and shock set in among Pete's mates Down Under, Despallieres had PI cremated and the evidence turned to ashes and was waving around a photocopied will that made him sole beneficiary of Pete's fortune, including a £2 million flat in Chelsea.


Pete's friends and family called "bulls***" on this one. Executors of his original 2002 will went to High Court in London, calling Despallieres' document a forgery, and ob Thursday the two sides reached an out-of-court settlement in which Despallieres accepted that the 2002 version was Ikin's last valid will.


The 2002 will left the money to two Sydney charities, friends, his goddaughter and his nephew Father Gary Perritt, a Catholic priest.

After Pete's death, lots of Aussie mayes came forward with emails in which he expressed worry the handsome young Frenchman was after his money.


One pal tells us: "In this case, justice was actually served! Some good came out of a very nasty situation..."

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