Andy Rooney's $9 Million Estate and Estate Sale

Andy Rooney, best known for his controversial “60 minutes” segments, passed away in November of last year. Rooney had announced just a month earlier on ’60 Minutes’ that he would no longer be appearing regularly on the program. Rooney was 92 years old at his passing.

Rooney was best known for his wry, humorous and often cantankerous and contentious television essays and written articles. Rooney had worked in television for over 60 years, with over 30 of them as a commentator on the CBS ’60 Minutes’ program. Over the years, he has addressed a myriad range of topics, such as: AIDS, drug use, the contents of his own desk drawer, the OJ Simpson trial, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, God and religion, the war on terrorism and every topic in between. Rooney has also published 16 books through the years.

Recently, Rooney’s will was filed in Manhattan Surrogate’s Court showing that while the celebrity was known as frugal and reserved financially, he didn’t make the wise decision to create an estate plan. This means his estate, valued at over $9 million will likely have to pay the high cost of estate taxes. Also, it means that his assets and information regarding their distribution and the beneficiaries’ information will not be kept private, but become public information. This is unfortunate in any situation, but especially so for someone in the public eye.

Rooney’s estate contains $8 million in stocks, bonds and cash along with $1 million in property. Rooney owned homes in Manhattan and Rensselaerville, New York as well as Rowayton, Connecticut. Rooney’s wife of 62 years passed away in 2004 and he is survived by his 4 children, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren. The estate is set to be divided equally between the four children and an estate sale on his various possessions began on Monday.

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