Ousted Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, who died in May after falling in his Florida home, left control of his reported $100 million estate to his widow, Elizabeth Tilson, according to news reports Wednesday.
Tilson, 55, who became Ailes' third wife in 1998, and their son, Zachary, 17, inherited a trust, according to a will dated Oct. 14 and reported by DailyMail.com.
She also inherited control of the family's vast real estate portfolio, including the $36 million mansion in Palm Beach, Fla., where Ailes was found unconscious after a bathroom fall May 10.
He died eight days later at age 77.
Ailes also left behind a $1.78 million fund to be shared among extended family and several close former colleagues.
The report was based on "documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com."
The will became public after Tilson, a New York newspaper publisher and former NBC News executive, petitioned a Palm Beach County court to be appointed executor, according to the report.
Ailes quit Fox News in July 2016 after former anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and discrimination.
He left with a $40 million payout and was to remain a Fox News consultant through next year.
Ailes' resignation capped an explosive three weeks at Fox News after Carlson filed her lawsuit – and he had denied the allegations.
According to DailyMail.com, several other benefactors from Ailes' estate include:
- Robert Ailes, 79, his brother who is a physician in Odessa, Fla., $250,000.
- Philip Bourekas, a nephew, $200,000.
- Three nieces, including Catherine Ailes Carter, $100,000 each.
- James Gildea, a former bodyguard and retired New York Police Department detective, $100,000.
- Dennis Mulligan, whom DailyMail.com identified as another key ally at Fox News, $100,000.
- Judy Laterza, Alies longtime executive assistant, $30,000.
In addition, Ailes' will also requires the rest of the funds be split among "an assortment of friends and in-laws, with the stipulation a custodian should take care of the money until each recipient is 21," DailyMail.com reported.
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