Stieg Larsson is not a name that is easily recognized, but his story shows why everyone needs estate planning.  Stieg Larsson grew up with his grandparents in a small wooden house in the countryside of Sweden.  His Father had worked in a smelting factory, eventually suffering from arsenic poisoning.  His Mother and Father moved to Stockholm but didn’t have room for him to move with them.  Stieg had to use cross country skis to get to and from school every day since the cabin that he lived in was so remote.   In 1966, at the age of 12, he received a typewriter for his birthday and quickly started writing short stories based on science fiction.

In 1974, Larsson was drafted into the Swedish Army, under the conscription law, and spent 16 months in compulsory military service, training as a morterm in an infantry unit in Kalmar.  Meanwhile, he still wrote short stories and contributed to a few science fiction fan magazines.  After his stint in the military he spent time as a journalist and graphic designer from 1977-1999.  During that time his long term girlfriend convinced him to write his first novel.  He intended for his novel to be a part of a 10 book series.  After almost completing the 3rd novel in his series he started looking for publishers, but died from a heart attack in 2004 from climbing the stairs to work.  He died with little money, no will in place, and no trust.

Stieg’s first book, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was published in Sweden in 2005 and in America in 2008.  It was an immediate hit and earned The Glass Key Award.  It seemed that each book released was more popular than the next with The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, and The Girl In The Spider’s Web, which was completed by Swedish journalist David Lagercrantz. The novels have now not only experienced success on the New York Bestseller List, but also in merchandising, movie deals, etc.

When Steig Larsson passed he was 50 years old, had no will, and had no reason to believe he needed one.  After his death his long time girlfriend thought she would be his heir and therefore control how his works were presented along with the royalties that came with controlling them.  Since Steig did not have a will his father and brother were named the heirs of his estate and given control over his works and the royalties they produce even though Steig did not spend much of his childhood or his adult life with his father or brother.  Ava Grabielsson, Steig’s long-term girlfriend, has been waging legal battles against his family ever since.