LATEST: The estate of late opera legend LUCIANO PAVAROTTI has been settled "fairly", according to his widow's lawyer - despite reports of a bitter feud between the star's wife and his children from a former marriage.
A feud between Pavarotti's wife Nicoletta Mantovani and the tenor's three daughters from a previous marriage had blown up after his death when reports surfaced suggesting his legal will had been changed six weeks before his death, meaning all of his assets would go to Mantovani.
However, Mantovani vehemently denied the claims, and went on to sue two of the late tenor's close pals for defamation in a $44 million (GBP22 million) lawsuit last November (07) after refusing to tolerate speculation about the state of her marriage to the star.
Now, Mantovani's lawyer Anna Maria Bernini has announced that Pavarotti's estate has been shared equally - insisting the widow's close relationship with the tenor's three daughters made the proceedings easier.
She tells Italy's II Resto del Carlino newspaper, "Nicoletta and the three daughters (from the tenor's first marriage) are friends. It was this affection that made it possible to reach the best conclusion to the negotiations on the estate."
Although the full details of the will settlement are undocumented, the Italian press range Pavarotti's personal wealth to be between 30 - 200 million euros ($46million/GBP23million-$127.5million/GBP158million).
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