The Jam drummer Rick Buckler leaves huge fortune to wife and smaller sum to relative

The Jam legend Rick Buckler left a huge fortune to his wife and kids following his death back in February at the age of 69. The Mod icon passed away earlier this year after a short illness.

He had been a member of the iconic rock band, alongside Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton, from 1972 to 1982 and they spawned huge classic hits like Going Underground and Town Called Malice.

Now it's been revealed that the rocker left £1 million in his will to his wife Lesley, who he married 40 years ago back in 1985, and their two children.

It's thought Rick made the will in October 2024 and reports say he passed almost everything to Lesley. He also asked that his beloved Jam memorabilia collection be distributed between his two kids, Jason and Holly.

While just £1,000 was to be given to his brother Peter, another £1,000 to pal Ian Gardner and £5,000 to Sham 69 singer Tim Scargill, according to the will document obtained by The Sun.

In addition to the distribution of his assets, Rick is further said to have expressed a wish to be cremated and interred at Woking Cemetery. The Surrey town is where he was born, and where he met Paul and Bruce, before they started The Jam in the early Seventies.

His bandmates led the tributes as they announced his death. Paul said: "I'm shocked and saddened by Rick's passing. I'm thinking back to us all rehearsing in my bedroom in Stanley Road, Woking. To all the pubs and clubs we played at as kids, to eventually making a record. What a journey! We went far beyond our dreams and what we made stands the test of time. My deepest sympathy to all family and friends - P.W x."

While Bruce said: "I was shocked and devastated to hear the very sad news today. Rick was a good guy and a great drummer whose innovative drum patterns helped shape our songs. I'm glad we had the chance to work together as much as we did. My thoughts are with Leslie and his family at this very difficult time."

The news came shortly after Rick had been forced to cancel a recent spoken word tour due to "ongoing health issues". On February 1, his team posted a message about the cancellation on Facebook, which read: "Rick and his team want all the fans of Rick and The Jam to know that due to ongoing health issues Rick has been advised to take a break from touring his spoken word events booked for the first quarter of 2025."

It added Rick had been "really touched by the number of fans who have booked to see the shows, but presently he has been advised to rest, repair and build his physical strength in order to deal with touring up and down the UK."

The post ended by saying: "Rick was really excited to bring his updated 'in conversation' show to life in so many new venues and to both loyal fans and new audiences. Once again thank you for you continued love, support and understanding. We will keep you up to date as time goes along. Rick looks forward to seeing you all down the road."

Following his tragic death, a 2023 interview from Rick resurfaced as he reflected on the band's split - and Paul Weller's reason for leaving in 1982 which broke up the band.

In an interview with The Strange Brew, he shared: "The reason that Paul gave us was about why he wanted to leave the band in that initial meeting was rubbish, basically. He said that he really felt like he was on a treadmill, and that he wanted to get off.

"But this was a treadmill that we wanted to get on. We always wanted to get on, we fought so hard to get on it. So to find somebody in the band saying, 'Well, I want to get off now.' You think 'Well, that’s crazy. That’s mad."

Before the band officially went their separate ways, Paul re-signed with Polydor Records, and in Rick's words, "just carried on on the same treadmill. So that didn't make any sense from the get go."

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