July 27, 2011
LONDON (AFP) - British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who committed suicide in February last year, left 50,000 pounds of his 16-million-pound fortune to his beloved pet dogs, details of his will released Tuesday showed.
McQueen, the former enfant terrible of the fashion world who went on to find huge success with his provocative designs, left the equivalent of $82,000 or 56,500 euros to ensure his dogs were pampered after he was gone.
Family members, his housekeepers and his favourite charities also received large sums in the will.
The will, seen by AFP and originally released after a request from Britain's Press Association news agency, said 50,000 pounds were being left "for the upkeep and maintenance of my dog or dogs so long as my dog or dogs shall live."
He left behind three dogs called Minter, Juice and Callum, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.
McQueen wrote a suicide note asking his family to "look after my dogs" before he hanged himself in his central London flat on February 11 after taking a cocktail of drugs the day before his mother's funeral.
The designer -- full name Lee Alexander McQueen -- left 16,036,500 pounds on his death.
He bequeathed 50,000 pounds to each of his two housekeepers, Marlene and Cesar Garcia, for their "long and faithful service", according to the will.
Four charities -- HIV and sexual health charity The Terence Higgins Trust, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the London Buddhist Centre and animal welfare charity Blue Cross -- each received 100,000 pounds.
McQueen left the lion's share of his estate in a trust for his Sarabande charity, named after his spring/summer 2007 collection, with a request that part of it be used for scholarships to Central St Martins College of Art and Design, which he attended.
From a humble background in the east of London, McQueen rose to become one of Britain's most lauded fashion designers.
A four-time winner of the British designer of the year award, he designed for Givenchy and was creative director of his own label which was bought out by Gucci.
