6. Dusty Springfield included her cat Nicholas in her last will and testament
When the film Pulp Fiction included the decades old song Son of a Preacher Man on its soundtrack it led to a revival of the career of Dusty Springfield, an English songstress who had risen to the heights of fame during the Swinging London years of the 1960s. She had an impressive string of hits during the decade, though subsequent to 1970 her success dwindled and her career went into a slump. She never again gained the level of success she enjoyed between 1964 and 1968, when she enjoyed success in music and television as well as international acclaim. Still, she continued to work until a long battle with breast cancer ended with her death in 1999. She had never married, and had no immediate heirs.
Dusty died in Henley-on-Thames in England at the age of 59. At the time she shared her home with a 13 year old cat by the name of Nicholas. Dusty specified in her will the treatment she expected for Nicholas following her death. This included importing baby food from the United States with which to feed the animal, who was to reside in an indoor tree house in which the cat could listen to recordings of its late master singing throughout the night. Dusty also specified that the nightgown worn when she died be used to line Nicholas’ bed. Nicholas was bequeathed to Lee Everett-Akin, along with the means to ensure his care in the manner Dusty desired.
