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Kirk Douglas death: Hollywood legend leaves ‘almost entire $61m fortune to charity’

Kirk Douglas, who died earlier this month at the age of 103, reportedly left almost his entire $61m (£47m) fortune to charity.

On Sunday, The Mirror reported that the Hollywood legend left $50m of his fortune to be distributed by the Douglas Foundation, which the actor and his wife Anne founded in 1964 with the goal of “helping those who cannot help themselves”.

“Its primary focus is improving the education and health, fostering the well-being, and most importantly developing new opportunities for the children who hold our future in their hands,” the website states.

According to the outlet, beneficiaries of the fortune will include St Lawrence University, Culver City's Kirk Douglas Theatre, the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Westwood's Sinai Temple, which “houses the Kirk and Anne Douglas Childhood Centre”.

The report did not state where the remaining $11m will go, although it did say that Douglas’s son Michael, who has an estimated net worth of $300m, will not receive any inheritance from his father.

Michael announced his father’s passing on 5 February, writing: “To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to.

“But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.

“Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet.”

Douglas, who dedicated a significant portion of his life to charity, received the Jefferson Award for public service in 1983 and the French Legion of Honor in 1985.