pounds 5M GOOD DAD DUD

DUDLEY Moore has left the bulk of his pounds 5million fortune to the two sons he hadn't seen for more than three years.

His will, to be made public this week, will reveal that Patrick, 26, and Nicholas, six, are in line for the largest shares of Dudley's fortune following his death at the age of 66 last month.

Nicholas's mother - Dudley's fourth wife Nicole Rothschild - has been left the next largest bequest. Her other two children, Lauren and Christopher, follow her on the list of beneficiaries of a special trust set up by Dudley.

Last night Nicole told a friend: "I think it is Dudley's way of saying sorry to his two boys. He knew that he wasn't a great father to them and this shows how much he wanted to make it up to them.

"He wanted me to be taken care of for the rest of my life, and I am so touched that he left my other two children something as well."

Although much of Dudley's multi-million-pound fortune was eaten up in medical bills, he was still thought to have been worth up to pounds 5million when he died after a long struggle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative brain disorder.

The will is being seen as a snub to Rena Fruchter, the classical pianist and friend who nursed Dudley through his illness and who said she banned Nicole and Nicholas from Dudley's funeral on his instructions. Rena has been left a smaller sum, as have his other ex- wives - actresses Suzy Kendall and Tuesday Weld and former model Brogan Lane.

Nicole's friend said: "She was devastated when her and Nicholas were prevented from going to the funeral, particularly as she was told that Dudley didn't want her there.

"She always knew the truth in her heart, but she is happy that the world will now know how much Dudley cared for her and her family. They will be receiving about 40 per cent of his estate."

The other major beneficiary is Dudley's eldest son, Patrick, from his marriage to Tuesday Weld. He is currently penniless and has even slept on the beach near the home his father owned in Marina Del Ray, California.

Just days before he attended the funeral with his mother, Patrick was asking friends for money because he couldn't afford his rent. He had repeatedly tried to visit his father, but was told he wasn't welcome at the house in Plainfield, New Jersey, where the ailing comedian lived out his days.

Dudley's lawyers are set to appoint a trustee to handle the estate this week. It is understood that the money will be held in trust and paid out for specific needs.

Nicole's friend said: "Dudley made sure the money is in a trust so that Patrick, who has had a problem in the past with drugs, won't blow it all.

"Nicole was told that Dudley was always asking about her right up until the end. He wanted to know how she was and if she was happy. She was very sad when he died.

"It was so wrong not to allow Nicole to go to the funeral, but now everybody knows what Dudley really thought about her."

Nicole had planned to challenge the decision to bury Dudley in New Jersey, insisting his final resting place should be closer to his family in California, and had even gone so far as to contact top Los Angeles lawyer Gloria Allred to represent her. But she has now been told that the trust will pay for a memorial plaque in a family burial plot so her son can pay regular visits.

"Nicole just wanted Nicholas to be able to visit his daddy's grave," said her friend.

"Now she will have somewhere she and her son can remember Dudley, and Nicole intends to be buried right next to him."

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