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Ted Williams Wanted to Be Frozen

Aired July 16, 2002 - 14:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Just about ten minutes ago, we brought you the latest development in the will of Ted Williams, baseball great Ted Williams. The executor of his will came out in Inverness, Florida saying that indeed, the baseball legend said that he did want to be frozen, cryonically preserved.

We are going to go to our John Zarrella. He is live now in Inverness, Florida to tell us more about this. I don't know -- I'm a bit shocked, John. Are you surprised -- you probably had the inside scoop. Tell us more about it.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'd need a crystal ball, Kyra, to have the inside scoop on this one. It is probably worse than predicting the stock market. I can show you the last will and testament, just handed out to us a few minutes ago, of Theodore S. Williams, and in the very first -- Article I, it says "cremation," and I will read directly.

"I direct that my remains be cremated, and my ashes sprinkled at sea off the coast of Florida, where the water is very deep."

In the will and testament, he also excludes from his will Barbara Joyce Farrell. That is his eldest daughter. That is the daughter, known better as Bobby-Jo, who has been fighting to have her father's body cremated. Of course, the son, John Henry, and the other daughter Claudia are the ones who we learn now have indeed sent his body to a place out in Arizona, where he is being cryonically preserved.

Now, despite the fact that the will states -- and it's dated 1996 -- states very clearly that he wanted to be cremated, it is also further stated by the executor of the will that there is some new information that supersedes this will that says that Ted Williams changed his mind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERT CASSIDY, EXECUTOR OF WILLIAMS' WILL: As stated in my petition to the court, based on what I know and believe, after the time of his will, Ted chose to have his body cryonically preserved. While many may not make the same choice for themselves, I hope people will respect this as a private family matter.

(END VIDEO CLIP) ZARRELLA: We will give you another look here at the cover page of this will, again, dated 1996. Again, Ted Williams saying here he wanted to be cremated, and that he had written his daughter, the oldest daughter out of the will, saying that he had taken care of her sufficiently throughout his life. Now, it also states in here that the -- the beneficiaries of the trust would be Claudia and John Henry Williams. That is whatever is left after everything is paid for out of the will, and it is also -- we also received a copy of a document filed today in court here, and it is Albert Cassidy, the man you just heard from, who is the executor of the will. Basically petitioning the court to tell him now what to do, whether to have Ted's body stay out there, cryonically preserved, or to bring it back. So it is now, it appears, fully in the hands of the Florida courts as to what to do with the remains of the great baseball legend, the man known as the Splendid Splinter, the last man to hit .400 as a Major League player, and what will ultimately happen to his remains appears now to be headed to court -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. John Zarrella, thank you so much.

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