Nice Article about Shel Silverstein
Troubldoll
CHILDREN'S AUTHOR, SONGWRITER LEAVES AT LEAST $20 MILLION
Published on Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Š 1999 Madison Newspapers, Inc.
Byline: Dee J. Hall Wisconsin State Journal
A 15-year-old Madison boy will inherit at least $20 million from his late
father, Shel Silverstein, the well-known cartoonist, songwriter, poet and
children's author who died in May.
An attorney for the estate of Silverstein confirmed that the teen-ager is the
sole heir to the fortune of the reclusive author, who sold 14 million books
and wrote dozens of popular songs. The boy's family asked that his name not be
revealed to
protect his privacy.
Silverstein, whose main residence was in Key West, Fla., was found dead of a
heart attack May 10 at his home. Although media reports put his age at 66,
court documents filed in Monroe County, Fla., say he was 68.
``He (the teen-ager) was the only heir. There was no will, and it all goes to
him,'' said Robert Gunn, a West Palm Beach, Fla., attorney who is helping
handle the estate.
Under Florida law, the boy stands to inherit Silverstein's entire fortune when
he turns 18.
According to attorneys for the estate, Silverstein and the boy's mother never
married. When contacted at her home, the mother declined comment, saying ``I
am a mother trying to protect my child -- that's my viewpoint.''
Michael McCloud, a close friend of Silverstein's from Key West, said
Silverstein had a good relationship with his son and
the boy's mother. The two often visited Silverstein at his tiny Key
West home, a 700-square-foot place considered big by
local standards, McCloud said.
``He had a front yard big enough to park a bicycle in and a backyard
big enough for a party of four,'' said McCloud, a singer
and songwriter.
McCloud said Silverstein, who was known for his quirky, subversive and
sometimes raunchy humor, was extremely private.
Even though they knew each other for more than 15 years, McCloud says
he doesn't know whether Silverstein ever married.
Biographies of Silverstein say he was divorced with a daughter.
However, McCloud said Silverstein told him his daughter died in the
late 1970s or early 1980s at age 11 or 12. ``He was
pretty messed up about that for quite some time,'' McCloud said.
McCloud said he recalls seeing Silverstein and his son walking
hand-in-hand in Key West when the boy was young, often
whispering in the boy's ear.
``It was a very secretive and private thing between them,'' McCloud
said.
McCloud said Silverstein also looked forward to his visits to Madison
to see his son and the boy's mother, with whom
Silverstein maintained a good relationship.
``They (Silverstein and the mother) were not only on good terms, they
were on the best of terms,'' McCloud said.
Dan Waisman, former owner of Pic-A-Book on State Street, said
Silverstein visited the store often, taking time to sign
elaborate autographs. Waisman said he had heard that Silverstein had a
son in Madison.
``Whenever you wanted an autograph from him it was always more than an
autograph,'' Waisman said. ``It was always a
cartoon using the first letter of whoever's name he was autographing
To my knowledge, he would not just scribble out an autograph. It was a
10-minute operation.''
Waisman said Silverstein was short and bald and wore a heavy leather
trench coat during the winter. He looked ``funny,''
Waisman said, much like the drawings of him on the jacket of his books.
``He was a nice guy -- always very friendly,'' Waisman said.
According to court records, Silverstein's son stands to inherit, before
taxes, $20 million in ``liquid securities.'' In addition,
the teen-ager will inherit the home in Key West and own the rights to
Silverstein's works, the value of which has not been
calculated, Gunn said.
Silverstein's works include the popular children's books, ``A Light in
the Attic,'' ``The Giving Tree,'' ``Where the Sidewalk
Ends'' and ``Falling Up.'' Silverstein also wrote dozens of popular
songs, including ``A Boy Named Sue,'' a 1969 hit for
singer Johnny Cash; and ``Cover of the Rolling Stone,'' a 1972 hit for
Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show.
Silverstein also drew cartoons for Playboy magazine and wrote several
plays.
Silverstein's sister, Peggy Myers of Northbrook, Ill., declined to give
any information about her brother or his son. Myers is
the personal representative for Silverstein's estate and will handle it
until Silverstein's son turns 18.
``I want to maintain his son's privacy,'' Myers said. ``I do not want
anything printed or written about his son. The family is
very adamant about maintaining privacy.''
Donald Hamburg, a New York City attorney who is the main counsel for
the estate, said Silverstein's family is committed to
making sure that Silverstein's works stay ``available for future
generations.''
``His family is very tuned into the fact that his books have been
wonderful for a generation of children,'' Hamburg said.
His quirky writings had a special appeal to children. Consider this
poem from ``A Light in the Attic:'' ``There's too many
kids in this tub/There's too many elbows to scrub/I just washed a
behind/That I'm sure wasn't mine./There's too many kids in
this tub.''
Hamburg declined to say whether Silverstein owned any property aside
from the small, 70-year-old home in Key West,
valued at roughly $130,000. However, McCloud said Silverstein owned
homes in Martha's Vineyard, Los Angeles and New
York.
Bruce LaPlaunte, a columnist with the 12,000-circulation weekly
newspaper Island News, said Silverstein lived a quiet life
on Key West.
He was famous for shunning media attention, and, McCloud said, often
``dressed like a dirt bag.''
Said LaPlaunte: ``Everyone around here is pretty protective of Shel. He
had a rather reclusive life. He just walked around in
his tank top and shorts and talked to his friends -- fellow writers and
singers. He had a number of close friends.''
McCloud said Silverstein ``was the least ostentatious millionaire I've
ever seen.
``On his list of priorities, he used to say that comfortable shoes and
the freedom to leave were the two most important things
in life.''
Shel Silverstein
Pat Monegan
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