Howard Hughes' alleged $156M inheritance to Melvin Dummar has been definitively proven false. The story claimed Dummar gave Hughes a ride in 1967 after finding him near a Nevada brothel, leading to Hughes leaving him 1/16th of his $12 billion fortune in a controversial will.

Key facts debunking this myth:

• Hughes never left his Desert Inn penthouse during his Las Vegas stay, with his movements strictly monitored and recorded
• The discovered "Mormon Will" contained obvious errors including misspelled names and use of "Spruce Goose" - a nickname Hughes despised
• By 1967, Hughes was severely ill, rarely bathing, and addicted to codeine injections
• Hughes had no connection to the Mormon church, yet the will inexplicably left them money too
• A Nevada jury ruled the will a forgery in 1978

While Dummar's story inspired the Oscar-winning film "Melvin and Howard" (1980), Hughes scholar Geoff Schumacher notes the tale is "highly improbable — if not impossible." Hughes was a recluse who required constant medical attention and never traveled without his staff.

By the time of his death in 1976, Hughes was severely deteriorated - weighing just 90 pounds at 6'1" with broken needles in his arms. While Dummar maintained his story until his death in 2018, no evidence has ever supported his claims.

Though some later investigations attempted to validate parts of Dummar's account, including claims about Hughes visiting a nearby brothel, these theories lack substantial evidence and contradict known facts about Hughes' condition and carefully monitored movements during this period.

Related Articles

Previous Articles