Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston (left) left her estate to her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, but the money will go to others after Bobbi Kristina's death. Pictured: Houston and Bobbi Kristina arrive at a pre-Grammy gala in Beverly Hills on Feb. 12, 2011. Getty

The death of Bobbi Kristina Brown might mean a legal battle is coming. The aspiring singer was Whitney Houston’s sole heir and was set to receive her mother’s fortune. Bobbi Kristina died on Sunday at age 22 after being comatose since she was found unresponsive in a bathtub on Jan. 31. Her family decided to take her off life support medication and moved her to hospice care in June. Now that Bobbi Kristina is dead, fans are left wondering who will inherit the estate.

What Bobbi Kristina Has

Bobbi Kristina wasn’t given all of Houston’s money. TheWrap spoke to attorney Bruce H. Gaynes of Kitchens Kelley Gaynes, P.C., who has seen a copy of Houston’s will. According to Gaynes, Houston didn’t want her daughter to inherit all of the money at once. Her estate was placed in a trust that allowed Bobbi Kristina to get a new payment every few years. At 21, she received 10 percent, and she was set to receive 30 percent when she turned 25. The rest of the estate was supposed to be given to her when she turned 30. That means that Bobbi Kristina only had 10 percent of Houston’s estate at the time of her death.

There are no confirmed numbers about Houston’s estate. Although she made about $250 million over her career, Billboard estimates that it was down to about $20 million at the time of her death. So Bobbi Kristina would have roughly $2 million from the estate.

Where Will The Money Go?

The money that Bobbi Kristina already inherited would go to her next of kin, who would seem to be her father, Bobby Brown. As previously reported, Nick Gordon could only claim part of the estate if he could prove that he married Bobbi Kristina. However, since Bobby’s lawyer confirmed that the two weren’t actually married, despite calling each other husband and wife, it seems unlikely that he would make a claim. This could change if Bobbi Kristina had a will prepared. “If she has a will, that trumps all,” Gaynes told the NY Daily News.

However, the money that Bobbi Kristina didn’t receive will reportedly go back to Houston’s family members. According to Houston’s will, “If Bobbi Kristina were to die unmarried, without children of her own and had left no will and testament of her own, the estate would be divided among Whitney’s living relatives,” Gaynes told TheWrap. Cissy Houston, Michael Houston and Gary Garland would be set to receive an estimated $18 million.

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