Here's Who Inherited Arnold Palmer's Money After He Died
Arnold Palmer was a sports legend, winning his first professional golf match in 1955, per Britannica. The man from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, went on to be one of the sport's most charismatic figures for the next several decades. He matched up against other titans, like Jack Nicklaus (the Golden Bear) and Gary Player (the Black Knight). Palmer, however, had a much more genial nickname: Arnie. His fans declared themselves to be members of "Arnie's Army."
Over the course of his career, he amassed a fortune — not only in golf (he was the first to win $1 million playing tournaments) but from other things like commercials, books, and being a spokesperson for various companies. He also had a drink named after him. When he died in 2016, he was worth roughly $700 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
There are times when celebrities die and chaos ensues about how their money should be distributed. Family members feud with each other, sometimes publicly. Members of their entourage are sometimes left with nothing. It can be quite ugly. Fortunately, everything was laid out well for how things would be distributed in the event of his death. There were quite a few people included in Palmer's will.
Arnold Palmer's skills made him wealthy
Arnold Palmer died from heart problems at the age of 87 in 2016. Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, when it came to his will, he left his estate to his second wife, two daughters, his foundation, and employees that he picked to be beneficiaries. His second wife, Kathleen Palmer, got $10 million, eight employees got $25,000 each, and he left $15 million for his foundation, Arnie's Army. His daughters, Amy P. Saunders and Margaret P. Wears, got the rest of his estate.
His life trajectory was a fascinating one. He was far from being an athlete who made money from his skills. He earned enough to live more than comfortably ($3.5 million), but it was his keen sense of entrepreneurship that propelled him into the stratosphere of wealth. His business acumen helped pave the way for other super-rich athletes like Michael Jordan and LeBron James, per The Street.
Palmer still makes money even in death, according to Forbes. His name still has that much impact. And yes, people still enjoy drinking Arnold Palmers to this day.