Even after his demise, senior Douglas has done what he is known to do; making the world a better place.
One of the last surviving stars of Hollywood's golden era, Kirk Douglas passed away earlier this month on February 5, aged 103, leaving his family and fans broken-hearted. Known for his philanthropic work, Douglas donated $50M of his fortune of $61M for various charities, leaving almost nothing for his son Michael Douglas, the Mirror reported.
The late star was always a charitable man and had devoted his time, energy, and money to "help those who cannot otherwise help themselves." So when you think about it, this decision of his is not really surprising.
Kirk Douglas and his wife Anne Buydens had set up a foundation called the Kirk Douglas Foundation in 1964 which aims at helping people in need and also enabling children to achieve their dreams.
One of the beneficiaries of his vast wealth is his alma mater St. Lawrence University which funds a scholarship for minorities and underprivileged students. It stated that he was “transcendently generous to St. Lawrence University and remained committed to his alma mater throughout many decades.”
In his initial years, Douglas struggled to make ends meet and pay for his education and training. According to NonProfitPRO, he pleaded for a loan with the Dean of the university which he later paid back by working as a gardener and a janitor.
Donating his fortune for causes as such only proves that he felt for people who did not have enough to achieve their dreams and goals and so after becoming successful he enabled them in his own ways. Some of the other beneficiaries are - Westwood's Sinai Temple, which houses the Kirk and Anne Douglas Childhood Center; Culver City's Kirk Douglas Theatre, a dilapidated movie theater restored as a live performance venue, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Mirror stated.
Given that Michael Douglas' net worth is a whopping $300M and he probably would not have needed his father's assets, it is only reasonable that senior Douglas decided to share it with people who would benefit from it.
On February 5, 2020, Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones took to Instagram to announce the passing away of Douglas and pay an emotional tribute to him.
"It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103. To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to," wrote Douglas.
Zeta-Jones also shared an adorable photo of herself with her father-in-law and wrote, "To my darling Kirk, I shall love you for the rest of my life. I miss you already. Sleep tight..."
Michael wrote in his Instagram post: "Dad- I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son." And now as the world knows about the last decision that Douglas took, we would also like to say - we are proud of you, Kirk Douglas, for the legacy of kindness, love, and compassion that you left behind.
References:
https://www.nonprofitpro.com/post/kirk-douglas-the-actor-philanthropist/
https://www.stlawu.edu/news/memory-laurentian-actor-philanthropist-kirk-douglas-39
