Jay Leno Files For Conservatorship Over Wife Mavis Following Her Dementia Diagnosis
Comedian Jay Leno filed for conservatorship over his wife Mavis Leno's estate following her recent dementia diagnosis on Friday.
According to court documents acquired by 'USA Today,' Leno, 73, wrote a petition to the Los Angeles County Superior Court outlining the purpose of his request for her conservatorship, stating his wife "has been progressively losing capacity and orientation to space and time for several years."
It is unclear of the exact date of the 77-year-old's diagnosis, however, the documents did include a doctor's report describing her condition on Nov. 28, 2023.
"It is my professional opinion that, due to her condition, Mavis is unable to meaningfully participate in the hearing on the Petition to Appoint a Probate Conservator nor would she understand the nature, force, or effect of the hearing should she attend," the doctor wrote.
The court filing stated that Leno, who does not share any children with Mavis, "has always handled the couple's finances throughout the term of their 43-year marriage, and will continue to do so until his passing." Leno's estate plan will reportedly also help Mavis's brother, who is "her sole living heir aside from Jay," according to CBS News.
Documents obtained by the publication confirmed the decline of Mavis' mental health, explaining she "suffers from dementia, major neurocognitive disorder."
Leno met Mavis at a comedy club and the couple tied the knot in 1980. She has been a board member of the Feminist Majority Foundation since 1997, campaigning to end gender apartheid in Afghanistan.
The organization's website describes Mavis as "a leader in the effort to make the restoration of women's rights a non-negotiable element of a post-Taliban Afghanistan and has been at the forefront of ensuring that the plight of Afghan women is included in the world's reporting of the war in Afghanistan and that the women and girls of Afghanistan are not forgotten."
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for April 9.
