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..."

Secret will is latest twist in scandal surrounding the death of gay Australian music exec Peter Ikin

Looking for a juicy international scandal? Our mates in Australia tell us the dust still hasn't settled in the mysterious death last November of beloved music exec Peter Ikin, who dropped dead at 62 in a Paris hotel room-- possibly after a fall down a flight of stairs-- shortly after marrying a mysterious young Frenchman named Alexandre Despallieres who quickly cremated ole "PI" and poured the former evidence into an urn.

Now it turns out that young Alexandre not only got PI's ashes, he's also got his entire estate thanks to a "secret" will-- and his Aussie mates and journos alike smell somethng fishy.

Writes Sydney's Daily Telegraph:

"Despallieres, who told Ikin he was an internet billionaire dying from a brain tumour, has moved into Ikin's £3 million ($A5.8 million) Chelsea pad and emptied £2 million from his Channel Island bank accounts.

"Last week he was spending some of the money on a new Porsche for his personal assistant, Jeremy Bilien, home after a recent stint in London's famous celebrity Priory Hospital.

"Ikin and Despallieres had exchanged vows at Chelsea Town Hall on October 10. The executive died on November 12.

"Ikin's Sydney solicitor Peter Court, with whom he had lodged a 2002 will which did not mention Despallieres, only found out about the second will last month.

"It was signed on August 7, 2008 in Paris and not witnessed by a lawyer but by Mr Bilien and another friend of Despalliere's, Vincent Bray.

"Mr Court said he was deeply concerned to discover that the UK courts had already granted probate of the second will to Despallieres.

"In the 2002 will, drawn up by Mr Court, Ikin left his wealth to two Sydney charities, friends, his god children and his only blood relative, nephew Father Garry Perritt, a Sydney Catholic priest...

"The story of the millionaire showbiz identity, his young lover and their rock star life is one of passion and tragedy.

"Ikin was vice-chairman of the ARIA awards, joining Warner in 1975 and also working for EMI. Respected by the stars whose huge egos he managed to handle, including Fleetwood Mac, his friends knew him as warm-hearted and generous. He split his year between London and his Elizabeth Bay penthouse in Sydney.

"He loved travelling in style and always wore his signature gold Cartier bracelet and watch.

"When he first met Despallieres in 1988, Ikin had the money and the rock star contacts to make the world their playground, wooing the then 20-year-old in the heat of a Parisian summer and on the Californian coast in San Francisco.

"During their whirlwind romance, they met Ikin's friends who happened to be stars such as Elton John and Stewart...

"Taking delivery of the Porsche last week outside the Chelsea apartment in exclusive Cheyne Place, Despallieres, 42, laughed at the suggestion he had a brain tumour.

"He said he had been suffering from HIV for 23 years. Actress Britt Ekland, a friend of Ikin's through Rod Stewart's former manager Billy Gaff, has been helping care for him, taking him for short walks..."

Read the entire Telegraph story here.

Celebrity... money... gay marriage... disputed wills... and a cast of characters that spans the world.

Keep an eye on this one...

Mystery surrounds Aussie music exec's sudden gay marriage-- followed by his sudden death

We told you last week about the services for Aussie music exec Peter Ikin, a good pal of Tabloid Baby pal Linn Taylor in Sydney and lots of others in the music biz Down Under.

As it turns out, the untimely death of the bon vivant and founder of Warner Music Australia was not without controversy! His death in Paris was a "Death in Venice" kind of thing, and mysterious, to boot-- possibly up there with Johnny O'Keefe's Elvis demise and Michael Hutchence's auto-erotic hanging!

And what was a fond farewell is turning ugly its aftermath, with questions about how he died, why his body was cremated so quickly, and what's going on with the will and properties he left behind.

Aussie gossip queen Annette Sharp writes in the Daily Telegraph:

"...At Monday's service at St Canice's in Elizabeth Bay, the mystery surrounding the final weeks of his life as well as the circumstances of his death dominated conversation.

"Some thought 'PI' had died suddenly of cancer, some believed he had fallen down a flight a stairs fatally injuring his head, while others were trying to piece together the final days of his life in Paris hotel room, far from his luxury Chelsea home.

"Ikin's Sydney-based nephew Father Gary Perritt confirmed that an autopsy had been conducted in Paris soon after his death. He was cremated within the week.

"Ikin died of a heart attack Fr Perritt said. Ikin's solicitor Peter Court said the death certificate had not yet arrived from Paris confirming the cause of Ikin's death. That could take some weeks, he added.

"Meanwhile, distressed friends are intrigued by Ikin's decision to marry his younger French boyfriend only a few weeks before his death.

"Alexandre Despallieres is listed on the web as president of Lexink, Creative Minds for the Multimedia Industry. The bizarre site lists Despallieres' favourite books, websites and computer widgets. Some 20 years after first meeting and enjoying a brief affair, Despallieres traced Ikin to Sydney earlier this year.

"The couple left Sydney soon after reuniting to travel the world together - it was the last time Ikin would be seen in Sydney.

"Ikin, a rather wealthy man at the time of his death, married Despallieres in a civil ceremony in the UK just a couple of weeks before his death. Yet, Australian friends knew little of the marriage and were distressed when Despallieres reportedly tried to deny them a memorial service in Sydney this week.

"...As the founder of Warner Music Australia, Ikin was revered locally and adored internationally by artists Elton John, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart and Fleetwood Mac.

"Yesterday Rix maintained that Ikin's death resulted from a fall down a set of stairs in Paris."

In any case, PI's gone too soon, but he'd probably love the gossip...

Stay tuned..

Our Aussie mates mourn music giant Peter Ikin

We just got word from Tabloid Baby pal Linn Taylor in Sydney that a giant in the Australian music business has died in Paris. They're having a memorial for Peter Ikin on Monday.

Sez Linn:

"this is a good mate of ours ... too sad ... he died in Paris a couple of weeks ago ... and there is a memorial being held in Sydney next Monday ... I've attached the invite as it has a really nice photo of him on it ...

"he was a real mover and shaker in the music industry ... both here and in the UK ... there's talk of people coming from the USA and Europe for the memorial ..."


Cheers, mate. Here's an obit from Billboard:

Warner Vet Ikin Dies
November 20, 2008 - Global

By Lars Brandle, Brisbane

Peter Ikin, a former high-ranking Warner Music International executive who was one of the chief architects of the major's Australian business, has died at the age of 62 from a suspected heart attack.

The Warner stalwart's passing has sent a "shock-wave" through the ranks of a company where he started back in 1975, notes Ed St John, president and CEO of Warner Music Australasia.

Ikin's friends who spoke today with Billboard all fondly remember Ikin's skills as a music man, and as an executive who had the unwavering respect of all his artists.

"It's a cliche to say it but Peter Ikin was a true record man of the times," says Philip Mortlock, creative manager at Albert Music, who first linked up with Ikin when the pair joined WEA/Warner Music Australia. "His commercial instincts were sharp, his respect for the artists paramount, his love of the music the essential ingredient."

Mortlock adds, "Peter was never a self promoter. The artists were the stars."

Along with the late Warner Music Australia chairman Paul Turner, it was Ikin's vision and enthusiasm, which built Warner Music's business down under, recalls St John.

“He had a role in the way the company was set up, who worked here and how the office looked,” he says. “From the moment he arrived here in 1975, he set an agenda for a marketing-driven company focused on blockbuster hits and peerless artist relations. The Seventies and Eighties were a time of massive artist egos -- Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Rod Stewart -- and Peter Ikin gained a reputation for handling superstars that was beyond compare."

Ikin retired in 2000 after a long stint as London-based Warner Music International senior VP of international marketing and artist development, a post he had held since 1991. Prior to that, he was managing director of the U.S. repertoire division of Warner Music Australia from 1987-91. He also had stints with EMI Australia.

The late executive truly belonged to an era in the Australian music industry that "has long passed," adds St John. And his role in shaping the business was a critical one.

"Most of the people who knew him well are now in their fifties and sixties. It would be easy for young people in our industry to think that his death has no relevance to them, but they'd be wrong. Great music guys are a rare commodity -- increasingly rare, some would say -- and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. So thank you, Peter Ikin, for your contribution to music."

Stephen Peach, CEO of ARIA, adds: "Peter Ikin was one of the founding fathers of the ARIA Awards. He was a driving member of the ARIA Awards board of governors, and acted as deputy chairman for the first six years.

"Thanks to Peter, ARIA was privileged to have Elton John host the inaugural awards ceremony. He was also heavily involved in the nuts and bolts behind the scenes of the awards, assisting with the establishment of the judging school, eligibility and voting processes. Even after he relocated to London, Peter returned to Sydney each year to attend the awards. ARIA will forever be grateful for Peter's contribution to the ARIA Awards which have become the biggest night of the year for the Australian music industry."