Former Manic Street Preacher Richey Edwards has finally been legally declared dead, after nearly fourteen years on the missing list.
The guitarist's family resisted the move for a number of years - a missing person can be officially declared dead after being missing for seven years - but have now obtained a court order to change his legal status. The family's lawyer told Walesonline.co.uk that the decision was due more to "an acceptance that his affairs have got to be sorted", and that it's "not the same as an acceptance that he is dead".
Edwards left no will, so his parents have been given control of his estate, which is reportedly presently worth £445,990, though death duties will bring that total down to £377,548. He has continued to receive his share of Manics royalties down the years.
As you will no doubt be aware, Edwards went missing in 1995, when his car was found near the Severn Bridge, leading to the assumption that he'd taken his own life. That hasn't stopped myriad reported sightings throughout the globe, however. As previously reported, Manic Street Preachers recently announced that their next album will use only lyrics written by Edwards prior to his disappearance.