0:00:02 > 0:00:05Today the heir hunters uncover a tragic family story as they track down the heirs
0:00:05 > 0:00:08to a £40,000 cash estate.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13They're looking for long-lost relatives who have no idea
0:00:13 > 0:00:15they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:35 > 0:00:37On today's programme...
0:00:37 > 0:00:41The heir hunters have got their work cut out searching
0:00:41 > 0:00:45for the descendants of a man with one of the most common surnames in the country.
0:00:45 > 0:00:46They knew that Ronald died.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49- So this is correct, then? - This is correct.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53And a straightforward investigation goes global as they hunt
0:00:53 > 0:00:56for the beneficiaries of an unsung hero of rock 'n' roll.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00If you listen to the man, he was born to perform.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05Plus, how you may be entitled to inherit some of the unclaimed estates held by the Treasury.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Could thousands of pounds be heading your way?
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Every year in the UK, an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22If no relatives are found,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25then any money left behind will go to the Government.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31Last year, they made £12 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34That's where the heir hunters come in.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37They make it their business to track down missing relatives
0:01:37 > 0:01:40and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46It is rewarding when one can put people in touch with one another.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56It's Thursday morning in central London
0:01:56 > 0:01:58and in the offices of heir hunters, Fraser & Fraser,
0:01:58 > 0:02:03boss Neil is scanning the Treasury's weekly register of unclaimed estates.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08One listing of the popular surname Jones catches his eye.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12He's not 100% convinced it's the right case to pursue.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16On this case of Jones, I've really got no idea how much it's worth.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Before I commit loads of staff here or even drop the case,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21I've asked Bob Smith to go down there.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24He's going to do an inquiry with the neighbours.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28He's going to hopefully find out whether it's worth £5,000 or £500,000.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Until we get an answer back, I don't want to commit staff to work it.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36The heir hunters work on commission, taking a percentage
0:02:36 > 0:02:40of the money received by each heir that they sign.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43So before he decides to go ahead with this job, Neil wants to know
0:02:43 > 0:02:45that it's going to be worth his while,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49especially because it involves a potentially tricky surname, Jones.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53It's still early in the morning, but Neil's keen to stay ahead
0:02:53 > 0:02:57of the competition, so he gets straight on the phone to Bob Smith.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02Ronald Jones. All right, OK. Off we go.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09The company employs several travelling heir hunters like Bob who are based all over the country.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13It's their job to chase up any lead, no matter where it takes them,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and make sure if there are heirs to be found,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18they're first on the doorstep.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Yeah, our deceased, Ronald Jones, died
0:03:22 > 0:03:27and, presumably, would have lived in the Basildon area of Essex.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32At this stage we don't know whether he lived in rented accommodation
0:03:32 > 0:03:34or he owned his own property.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Before Bob can speak to the neighbours, and hopefully find out all this information,
0:03:39 > 0:03:41he needs to get hold of Ron's address.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45First stop is Basildon register office to collect Ron's death certificate.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Ronald Jones died aged 87 in Basildon in Essex.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55He left no will and not even a photograph survives of him.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Before he died, he lived in this modern terraced house.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03His neighbour, Lisa Hendy, remembers him fondly.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06We really got quite close with Ron.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09About ten years ago, we'd been in here for five years
0:04:09 > 0:04:10and we were out in the garden
0:04:10 > 0:04:15and he'd had a nice cold tinny, as he used to call them, on the go.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18He asked my husband if he wanted to join him.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21So it's basically been from there, talking the old-fashioned way
0:04:21 > 0:04:25over a garden fence, having a gossip and a laugh.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28He was a lovely man.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31He used to like doing his gardening, meeting people,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35getting his newspaper, having chats to people, or going to play bingo.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40The way he used to dress was very smart.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Always wore trousers, pair of shoes.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Nice freshly-ironed shirt, very clean shaven,
0:04:46 > 0:04:47hair in place all the time.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51One day, Ronald had a fall in his back garden.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Lisa called an ambulance and took him to hospital.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Sadly, he never recovered and passed away a month later.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Before he died, Lisa visited him there on fireworks night.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06He was there on 5th November, which was his actual birthday.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08We were looking out of the window of the hospital.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Ron was saying, "They're celebrating me being in here!"
0:05:11 > 0:05:16Even when he really didn't want to be somewhere, he was still jovial and happy.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23In the office, the team are waiting to hear
0:05:23 > 0:05:25whether the Jones case is a goer or not.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Before they commit to a full-scale investigation,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33they need some reassurance that the job is sufficiently high value to be worth their while.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Which is why Rob Smith is in Basildon.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41He's been given the job of finding out how much this case is worth
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and he's just picked up Ron Jones's death certificate,
0:05:44 > 0:05:49which should contain some vital information to help him in his research.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53It gives his address in Basildon.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54So that's handy.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58We'll go there and make inquiries, see if he owned the property,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00any information about his family.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03But also his date of birth,
0:06:03 > 0:06:075th November, Guy Fawkes Night, in Islington.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11The date and place of birth of the deceased
0:06:11 > 0:06:13are crucial bits of information.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14With these key facts,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18the team will be able to start the search for Ronald's wider family.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24First things first. Bob needs to find out what he can by going to Ronald's last known address.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31I'm actually making inquiries about next door, Ronald Jones. Oh, yes.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34We're trying to trace his next of kin.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37He apparently has left an estate,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40whatever that is, money in the bank, whatever,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44and the family need to know because they're entitled to it.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- Yeah.- All right? OK, but number three?
0:06:48 > 0:06:50All right, lovely, thanks. Bye.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Bob moves on to the next house.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55The office are depending on him to find out
0:06:55 > 0:06:57whether Ronald Jones's estate is worth anything
0:06:57 > 0:06:58and to come up
0:06:58 > 0:07:01with some information about family members who could inherit.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06He's been in this game a long time and knows that only persistence brings results.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08And sure enough...
0:07:08 > 0:07:09He did have some children,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13- but from what I can make out, they were estranged.- Right.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18I believe he's got one or two daughters that live somewhere in London.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Bingo. Bob has struck gold.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25According to this neighbour, Ronald Jones has children living in London.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Apparently they were estranged from their father,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30but they would still inherit any money.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Bob also discovers that the estate has some value.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39Although Ronald didn't own his house, when his property was cleared after his death,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42a jaw-dropping discovery was made.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44£40,000 in cash.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47That's lovely. Thanks very much.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49This is a great result for Bob.
0:07:49 > 0:07:55Thanks to him, the team now know that Ronald has two estranged daughters
0:07:55 > 0:07:59who would be the sole heirs to their father's £40,000 estate.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03But where there's money, Bob knows there will probably be competition from the 30 or so
0:08:03 > 0:08:05other heir hunting companies.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09And he's still dealing with one of the most common surnames in the UK.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13There's a long way to go before this case is solved.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Back in the office, the team now have the crucial information
0:08:17 > 0:08:19they need to get to work.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22The heir hunters now know they are dealing with
0:08:22 > 0:08:24what they call a direct kin case.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27This means the deceased had children that can inherit.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31The heir hunters know that once they've found them,
0:08:31 > 0:08:32it will be job done.
0:08:32 > 0:08:38Researcher Debbie has been online looking for birth records for Ronald Jones's children.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41She's made an interesting discovery.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47Apparently the deceased, Mr Ronald Jones, had four kids,
0:08:47 > 0:08:48was married before.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51So we're speculatively looking at marriages for him.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57According to the information Debbie's found online,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Ronald had four children, not two like the neighbour said.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06London is full of Joneses, so finding them will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
0:09:06 > 0:09:11The one lead they have is they know Ronald was born in Islington,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14a fact gleaned from his death certificate,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17so it's the best place to start looking for other family members.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Case manager David Pacifico has taken charge of the investigation.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- Did you speak to Bob? - No, I left a message.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34The first thing he does is to recruit another travelling heir hunter, Bob Barrett.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38- Are you in Hammersmith? - No, Chelsea Bridge now.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- Could you go to Islington? - Right.- Thanks, Bob.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50Bob heads off to collect Ron's birth certificate from Islington register office
0:09:50 > 0:09:53and to see what other Jones family records he can find there.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56While Bob makes his way across London,
0:09:56 > 0:10:01David Pacifico is trying to consolidate what they know so far about this case.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06Jones. Now, this is a case where we found out from a neighbour
0:10:06 > 0:10:10that he had about £40,000 in cash in the house.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13A council house but 40,000, so well worth looking at.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18I've got Bob Barrett going to Islington to pick up the birth
0:10:18 > 0:10:23of the deceased, Ronald Jones, hoping it might give us good information.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Hopefully some decent names of the parents.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28But Noel's already working on identifying Ronald's parents
0:10:28 > 0:10:31and amazingly, he strikes lucky.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35Out of all the Jones marriages registered in Islington,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37the first one he finds is the right family.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41Brinley. Dad's Brinley Jones,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43married September 1930.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Islington. She's Alice Hall.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Ronald's parents were Brinley Jones and Alice Hall.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Brinley and Alice had three children, Ronald,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00a son Brinley and a daughter, Doris.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03We've done a death search of Brinley Jones Junior.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06He died in Brentwood in 1998.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10His address was in Basildon, same place as the deceased guy.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13We've just found out the phone number of his widow.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15David's going out now.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18If she's there now, hopefully we might get a few answers.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21This is a great result for the team.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25If they can speak to Brinley's widow, she may be able to give them some vital information
0:11:25 > 0:11:29about Ronald's marriage and the whereabouts of his children.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33But after all that, she's not in, so David has to leave a message.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36We're trying to trace the descendants of a Brinley Jones
0:11:36 > 0:11:38and Alice Jones, formerly Hall,
0:11:38 > 0:11:43which I'm hoping were the parents to Brinley Jones,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47particularly about a possible brother that he may have had by the name of Ronald.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Thank you very much.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53It's frustrating for the team.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Somewhere out there in London, Ronald Jones's children
0:11:57 > 0:11:59are entitled to share their father's estate.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03For the time being, all the heir hunters can do is keep looking for them.
0:12:06 > 0:12:07Coming up...
0:12:07 > 0:12:08Hang on.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11The team make a breakthrough.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13She's either living at this address, or this one.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16But for David, it comes at a price.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19God! Never like that, never like these sort of cases.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29Most of the time, the heir hunters are looking for the heirs of people who lived ordinary, everyday lives.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34But once in a blue moon, they come across an extraordinary individual
0:12:34 > 0:12:38whose legacy touched thousands of people all over the world.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41This was the case with Timothy Alan Rose.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46When Gareth Langford of heir hunters, Fraser & Fraser, first started investigating,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50the name meant nothing to him, but all that was about to change.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52When the case was first advertised,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55all the information we had was his name, Timothy Alan Rose.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58He died in 2002 in Westminster.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00From that death,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03we knew he was born in 1940, and then the problems started.
0:13:04 > 0:13:10Timothy Alan Rose died on 24th September, 2002, in Westminster in London.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14But mysteriously, his estate didn't appear on the Treasury's list
0:13:14 > 0:13:18until eight years later, in 2010.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21The only other information Gareth had was his date of birth.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25He had no idea about the value of the estate,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28so he didn't even know if the case would be worth pursuing.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32The first thing Gareth did was to look around for a birth certificate.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37He found one for a Timothy Rose that seemed to fit, but he couldn't be sure.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43The birth that we were looking at was a plain Timothy
0:13:43 > 0:13:46and it was in slightly the wrong quarter.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48We would have expected him to be born in 1940,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50and we had the birth in 1941.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52So he didn't have the second Christian name
0:13:52 > 0:13:54and he was in the wrong year.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58We basically had a question of, "Do we work the family that we had the birth certificate
0:13:58 > 0:14:02"that we didn't like, or do we go and get the birth certificate?"
0:14:02 > 0:14:05What we decided to do was both.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09While Dominic went to order the death certificate from Westminster Register Office,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12the team got busy researching the family of this Tim Rose
0:14:12 > 0:14:14without a middle name.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18It wasn't long before they'd made fantastic progress,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22even lining up several beneficiaries who would be entitled to inherit.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26It looked like this job would be all sewn up in a matter of hours.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31But then the death certificate arrived back in the office and changed everything.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Two main things that came from the death certificate.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39The first one was that the family we had been working was wrong.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43We knew that for two reasons, one because the date of birth was wrong,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46but also, more importantly, our deceased was born in America.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50For Gareth, this was potentially bad news.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51If Tim was American,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54then it was likely that his heirs would be American as well,
0:14:54 > 0:14:59which means the whole case would have to be handed over to the company's US associates.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04But just when this case was looking like a real non-starter,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06another key fact leapt off the page.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11The second bit of information was that he was a singer-songwriter.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13As Dom was telling me on the phone, his occupation,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17I immediately thought "We've got to look on the internet for this chap."
0:15:18 > 0:15:21If Tim Rose was a successful musician,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24then Gareth was expecting that there would be some information about him online
0:15:24 > 0:15:28that would give this investigation a helping hand.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32But what he actually found was much better than he could ever have hoped for.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34There was a wealth of information about him,
0:15:34 > 0:15:40including biographies, the music he had done over the years and footage.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44It seems that Tim Rose was not your average jobbing musician.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48One of the first things that Gareth came across when he looked online
0:15:48 > 0:15:51was a clip of Tim on the Jools Holland Show in 1997.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr Tim Rose!
0:15:55 > 0:15:57APPLAUSE
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Tim had been invited on to the programme to perform the song, Hey Joe.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08This was the track that brought him recognition
0:16:08 > 0:16:13and later turned into an international hit for Jimi Hendrix.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15# Hey Joe
0:16:17 > 0:16:20# Where are you going with that money in your hand? #
0:16:20 > 0:16:23The more Gareth read, the more intrigued he became
0:16:23 > 0:16:26as he came across tribute after tribute to Tim Rose.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28He's a connoisseur's artist, really.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32He's the sort of person that if you know a lot about
0:16:32 > 0:16:35a certain type of music, you'd go towards Tim Rose.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38He was obviously highly regarded by both the critics
0:16:38 > 0:16:40and his fellow musicians.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Tim was a great performer.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46George Harrison wanted him to record With A Little Help From My Friends.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50He had a voice which could move
0:16:50 > 0:16:52through all the emotions.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55It could go from tender to hard-edged, to rock.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58I had never heard anything like Tim Rose before.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00There was nothing around like Tim Rose.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02# I said, I said
0:17:02 > 0:17:04# Hey, hey Joe
0:17:04 > 0:17:07# Hey, hey
0:17:07 > 0:17:08# Hey, Joe!
0:17:08 > 0:17:10# Waah!
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- # Waah! # - APPLAUSE
0:17:14 > 0:17:16From everything that he had read online, it was clear
0:17:16 > 0:17:20to Gareth that despite being an American,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Tim had most of his success in the UK.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26It seems he moved over here in the late '60s
0:17:26 > 0:17:31and started working with professional roadie, Martin Hughes.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34It was the beginning of a 40-year friendship.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37I took Tim down to Hastings for his first gig here.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40I didn't know what to expect but when I stood at the side
0:17:40 > 0:17:44of the stage, and he started up, that did it for me.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49He grabbed me straight away. He was demanding, but he was so talented.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Tim's career in the music industry spanned four decades,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56but it was anything but consistent.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58In the '70s, the gigs dried up and he left London
0:17:58 > 0:18:02and went back to the States, where he fell on hard times.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05He hit the bottle quite strongly for one period of time.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09He sold everything, his car, his home,
0:18:09 > 0:18:10even some guitars.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Tim eventually pulled himself back from the brink.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Over the next 20 years or so, he did a variety of jobs,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21all of them far removed from the music business.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23But one day, he picked up his guitar again.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27The bug got him again, and he just, you know,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29one thing led to another and back he came.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33Tim moved back to the UK. He recorded a few albums
0:18:33 > 0:18:37and went out on the road again doing what he loved best.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Playing to his loyal fans.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43But sadly, by the late '90s, he was suffering from cancer
0:18:43 > 0:18:45and in a lot of pain.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48His friends tried to tell him to slow down, but he wouldn't,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50he just wanted to work, so he was taking everything on.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Ignoring advice from his doctors, Tim went ahead
0:18:53 > 0:18:56and had an operation to remove the tumour.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58He didn't survive the surgery
0:18:58 > 0:19:01and died the day after his 62nd birthday.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03He was in the middle of his latest tour.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07If you listen to the man or look at any decent footage of him,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10he was born to perform. Music was him.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17For Gareth, all this information was extremely encouraging.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21If Tim Rose was a successful singer-songwriter,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24it was likely there would be some value to his estate.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27But Gareth still didn't have any leads on Tim's heirs.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28For that, the team had to sift
0:19:28 > 0:19:31through the biographical sections of the websites.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38They soon discovered that Tim was born on September 23rd, 1940 in Washington DC.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43He was an only child whose parents were Harold and Mary Rose.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Harold was described as an absent father
0:19:45 > 0:19:49and Tim was brought up by his mother and an unnamed aunt.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53One of the things that we've often found with the internet
0:19:53 > 0:19:57is that some of the information is correct and some is wrong.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00However, in this case, I think we are on the right path,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03because we not only had his own website saying this information,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05we also had other sources as well,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08and they're all pretty much saying exactly the same thing.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Gareth was now confident that he had built up an accurate picture of Tim's close family.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15He knew that his parents were Harold and Mary,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and that he was an only child,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21so there were no siblings who could inherit.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23But the interesting figure in all this
0:20:23 > 0:20:26was the unidentified aunt who had helped bring Tim up
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and was mentioned on so many of the websites.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32If this aunt had got married and had children,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35her descendants would be Tim Rose's heirs.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Could she be the key to this entire heir hunt?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Coming up... The heir hunters uncover
0:20:44 > 0:20:48the harsh realities of talented Tim Rose's career in the music business.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Tim is the classic nearly-man of rock music.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54He was almost there on several occasions.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and millions of pounds are paid out to rightful heirs.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07But not every case can be cracked.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10The Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates
0:21:10 > 0:21:14that have baffled heir hunters and remain unsolved.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Could you be the heir they've been searching for?
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Could you be in line for a windfall worth hundreds,
0:21:19 > 0:21:22thousands or even millions of pounds?
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Estates stay on the list for up to 30 years,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and today we're focusing on three names.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Are they relatives of yours?
0:21:31 > 0:21:37Edmund James Peddie died on 4th January 2009 in Coventry.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Edmund had a wife, whose maiden name was thought to be Powell.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44If no heirs of Edmund's are found, his money will go to the government.
0:21:46 > 0:21:52William James Kingdon died on 19th January 2007 in Clapham, London.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Kingdon is an Anglo-Saxon name,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58from the parish of Kingsdon near Somerton in Somerset.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02The greatest concentrations of Kingdons in the country live in Exeter.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Does anyone remember William?
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Brenda Gagg died on 24th April 1998,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13aged 78 in Radford, Nottingham.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Gagg is a very rare surname in Britain.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Only six people in a million have it,
0:22:18 > 0:22:20and the majority of them live in Torquay.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Brenda left no will, and so far no one has come forward to claim her estate.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32If the names Edmund Peddie, William Kingdon or Brenda Gagg
0:22:32 > 0:22:34mean anything to you, or someone you know,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Heir hunters, Fraser & Fraser, are searching for the heirs
0:22:49 > 0:22:52to Ronald Jones' £40,000 estate.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55The case had got off to a slow start.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Neil wasn't sure that it would be worth enough to justify
0:22:58 > 0:23:00a full investigation.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03On this case of Jones, I've really no idea about the value
0:23:03 > 0:23:05but I don't like turning cases down.
0:23:05 > 0:23:11Then travelling heir hunter, Bob Smith, made a startling discovery.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13He heard that after Ronald had died,
0:23:13 > 0:23:18they had found £40,000 in cash stashed around his house.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24Ronald's friend Lisa was there when the money was found, and she couldn't believe
0:23:24 > 0:23:26where he had hidden it all.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Behind wardrobes, in coat pockets, in suit jackets,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36detachable hoods from coats. There was a large amount of money that he'd put in there.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39I think he probably didn't want to put it in a bank
0:23:39 > 0:23:42because he probably felt safer with it on him,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45where he could keep an eye on it more than the bank managers,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47probably knowing Ron!
0:23:53 > 0:23:57The team are working on the theory that this case involves near kin.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01The neighbours told them that Ronald had some children, but they were probably estranged.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Their best hope of tracing these children is to go back
0:24:03 > 0:24:07through Ronald's family and find someone who remembers them
0:24:07 > 0:24:09or knows of their whereabouts.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13The dad is Brinley Jones.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18Researcher, Noel, found a phone number for Ronald's brother, Brinley's, widow,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20but she wasn't in to take the call.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22Thank you very much.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26But then suddenly, he makes another breakthrough.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27Hang on.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31She is either living at this address or this address.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35He's managed to track down Brinley's widow's daughter.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38David heads off to try his luck again.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Would I be right in saying you would be the daughter of a Brinley John Jones?
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Brinley's daughter is in, and better still,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48her mum is visiting her and is happy to speak to David.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53Mrs Jones, I represent a company of probate researchers in London.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55We're trying to track down the closest next of kin
0:24:55 > 0:24:57of your brother-in-law, Ronald Jones.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59The closest ones obviously would be his children.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Jennifer?
0:25:01 > 0:25:03What about Kathleen?
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Brinley's widow tells David that Ronald's wife was called Lydia
0:25:07 > 0:25:11and they had two daughters, Jennifer and Kathleen.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14But she also has news about the two other children.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17What, when they were very young?
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Oh, dear!
0:25:19 > 0:25:23David has learnt that the two other children, Martin and Jacqueline,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26died when they were infants in a car accident.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Sadly, it seems that the stress of this tragedy took its toll
0:25:30 > 0:25:32and Ronald and Lydia later divorced.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Worse still, Lydia was recently killed in another road accident.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Well, you have given us a lot of information
0:25:39 > 0:25:42and I'm sure we can track them down.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45How old would Jennifer and Kathleen be now?
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Would they be sort of...
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Thank you very much indeed, Mrs Jones.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53David has uncovered the sad story of a family dogged by tragedy.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56What's more, it seems that Brinley's widow
0:25:56 > 0:26:00hasn't seen her nieces in years, so not only were they estranged
0:26:00 > 0:26:03from their father, but from his whole side of the family.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06David checks back in with the team.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09I spoke to the mother.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12They knew that Ronald died.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- So this is correct?- This is correct.
0:26:15 > 0:26:21Now it's been confirmed that there are only two heirs, it's all systems go for the heir hunters.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24David calls travelling researcher, Bob Barratt.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28He's at Islington register office looking for birth and marriage certificates
0:26:28 > 0:26:29for Ronald Jones and his family.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34Can you just hold fire a minute? I think we're going to work a few things out.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36OK, so we don't want anything from Islington?
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Basically, what we're going to get is probably irrelevant now.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43We've got the names of the children,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47we've got a married name of one of the daughters.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51I think this'll come out in North London, but I'm not sure whereabouts at the moment.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53No problem, OK, cheers. Bye.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Bob Barratt is standing by awaiting his next instructions, so David gets back to the hunt.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03He knows he's very close
0:27:03 > 0:27:05to finding an address for one of Ronald's daughters,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and sure enough...
0:27:08 > 0:27:10This is Kathleen's address.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12David gets straight back on the phone.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Bob, David.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17I have got an address in Islington, London N1.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19See if you can get any joy at that address.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22We're plugging away, but that's the closest we've got so far.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26- OK, I will go round there now and see how we get on.- Thanks.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29It's now over to Bob Barrett.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33He's got an address, so he can finally swing into action.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37But on a case like this one, he knows he needs to tread carefully.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41You never quite know what you're walking into
0:27:41 > 0:27:44with a relationship as close as this.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46I do not know whether...
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Whether I'll find Kathleen, but if I do,
0:27:50 > 0:27:52I don't know how she's going to react to the news
0:27:52 > 0:27:55that her father has died.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Near-kin cases are very hard for the heir hunters.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04They often involve unhappy stories of estrangement
0:28:04 > 0:28:07and the team have to be prepared for the difficult task
0:28:07 > 0:28:12of breaking the news that someone's children or parents have died.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15On this occasion, it turns out Kathleen isn't at home,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18but Bob does manage to speak to her neighbour.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20- Hi.- Hello. I've finally found it.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Hello, I'm trying to trace Kathleen Hogg at number 14.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27- I am from a company called Fraser & Fraser.- OK, Kathleen Hogg.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30She's a friend of mine, I have her phone number.
0:28:30 > 0:28:31I will just go and get it for you.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34- Does she still live there? - Yes, she does.
0:28:34 > 0:28:39Now that Bob has a phone number for Kathleen, it is time for him to call back to the office.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42- David Pacifico, please. - Hold the line, please.- Thank you.
0:28:42 > 0:28:48- Hi, Bob.- Kathleen Hogg does still live at that address.- OK.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51I have a mobile telephone number for Mrs Hogg
0:28:51 > 0:28:53and I was wondering if it might be better
0:28:53 > 0:28:57- if someone from the office rings, rather than me on a mobile.- Sure.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02This will be a difficult phone call for David to make,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05but the heir hunters always try to respect the family's feelings.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07I'm sorry to trouble you.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10I'm sorry, I don't know how to say this,
0:29:10 > 0:29:13but unfortunately, it's to do with your father.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17I'm sorry to say that he has since passed away.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20We're trying to trace his next of kin,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23which it would seem would be yourself and your sister.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26What I'm hoping that we could do is discuss the matter in more detail
0:29:26 > 0:29:30because it's obviously difficult over the phone.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Thank you, bye.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39God, I never like that, I never like these sort of cases.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41- That was Kathleen.- Kathleen. - That was Kathleen.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Kathleen was very upset to hear the news of her father's death
0:29:46 > 0:29:50but she has agreed to meet with Bob Barrett.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55I've mentioned about, obviously, her father's passed away.
0:29:55 > 0:30:01- Also mentioned that we've spoken to one of her sister-in-law daughters.- Right.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06- I had to be totally open about it. I hate these cases.- I know.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08- Telling someone a parent's died. - It's awful, isn't it?
0:30:08 > 0:30:13Bob sets off for Kathleen's son's house, where she's been staying.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16He's about to meet his first heir on this case,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19which is a key moment in any heir hunt.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23He also knows that Kathleen has just heard that her father has died
0:30:23 > 0:30:26so he wants this experience to be as painless as possible for her.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32- Bob Barrett from Fraser & Fraser. I think you're expecting me.- Yes.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36I mean, I'm sorry that we had to break the news about your dad.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38You hadn't seen him for a while.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42I think I was about 29 the last time I saw him.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45I was very close to my dad when he was with my mum.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49They split up when I was about seven and a half, eight.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53Then he moved to Australia, so we lost contact.
0:30:53 > 0:30:58Bob tells Kathleen about the money that her and her sister are set to inherit.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01I know talking about money is not...
0:31:01 > 0:31:04As you say, your father's died.
0:31:04 > 0:31:10But apparently there is about £40,000 in cash, I don't know whether David mentioned it to you,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13that was found in the house. Whether that was...
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Presumably, who knows, savings over many years.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21He may have won the lottery the week before, who knows?
0:31:21 > 0:31:24He always had money,
0:31:24 > 0:31:29but I never expected him to have savings, do you know what I mean?
0:31:29 > 0:31:31He was always a free-hearted man.
0:31:31 > 0:31:36Kathleen is happy for the company to help her make a claim for her inheritance
0:31:36 > 0:31:38in return for a percentage.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40She signs up there and then.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- Thanks ever so much, nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you.- Bye.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Kathleen has given Bob her sister Jennifer's phone number
0:31:48 > 0:31:51and address, so Bob heads off to see her,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55leaving Kathleen to consider the desperately sad news she's just received.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00I often thought about him, you know.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02I wondered what he was up to.
0:32:02 > 0:32:08I thought if he wanted to see me, then he'd contact me,
0:32:08 > 0:32:10do you know what I mean?
0:32:10 > 0:32:12You sort of let things slide, don't you?
0:32:12 > 0:32:17Although Kathleen hasn't seen her dad for many years,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19she remembers him as a charismatic figure.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Yeah, when he took us out that time when he came to visit us
0:32:22 > 0:32:27when I hadn't seen him for ages and I was calling him Dad.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31"Don't call me Dad. I don't want people to think I'm old!"
0:32:33 > 0:32:37At your age and grandkids, you know! Made me laugh.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41He picked me up in his arms when I opened the door.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44He picked me up in his arms and swung me round
0:32:44 > 0:32:47and he was like...
0:32:47 > 0:32:48You know...
0:32:48 > 0:32:52I did think we'd see each other again.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56It's very sad.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01Bob's arrived at Kathleen's sister Jennifer's house,
0:33:01 > 0:33:04prepared for another emotional meeting.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08As before, David Pacifico has called ahead to break the sad news.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Nice to meet you, Bob Barrett.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Like her sister Kathleen,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18Jennifer is happy for the company to help and signs an agreement on the spot.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21I'll leave that with you.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23File these away before I lose them.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25What a surprise, what a shock.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29You wouldn't expect this when you got out of bed this morning.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33I would have liked him to be alive
0:33:33 > 0:33:36so I could have introduced him to my family.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40As Bob heads off, Jennifer is also left to reflect
0:33:40 > 0:33:43on her long-lost father.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45I didn't know him enough, you know.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48My mum left him, you see.
0:33:48 > 0:33:53She went to live with my nan with me and my sister after the car accident.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00I didn't see him again until I was about 15. He came up to our house.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05It would have been nice to know he'd written a will for me and my sister.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07But...
0:34:09 > 0:34:11It's not really, you know...
0:34:12 > 0:34:15He's not left it to us, has he?
0:34:20 > 0:34:22With both heirs signed with the company,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Bob calls into the office to speak to Dave
0:34:24 > 0:34:28and reflect on what's been a difficult day for both of them.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32Hello, Bob. I gather you've had another lengthy interview.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35I don't know how much the daughters mentioned.
0:34:35 > 0:34:37Did they want to know more about their father?
0:34:37 > 0:34:41They both seem quite upset about not having seen him for so long.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45I think they'd probably appreciate a bit more information about him.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48Isn't it a shame? They're wondering about him.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50- And it's too late, yeah.- Yeah.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55But it seems there is a chance for Kathleen and Jennifer
0:34:55 > 0:34:57to find some comfort amidst their grief.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59Ronald's friend and neighbour, Lisa,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02has been on the phone to the office, offering to speak to them.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06In his final days, Ronald had asked to see his daughters
0:35:06 > 0:35:09but Lisa hadn't known how to find them.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Now she can put that right.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14I think it'll be one of his biggest regrets
0:35:14 > 0:35:16that he didn't keep in contact with them,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18especially as the last few days
0:35:18 > 0:35:21before he passed, he'd asked to see them.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Ron would want his daughters to have his money
0:35:24 > 0:35:28because he would probably want to use that to build the bridge
0:35:28 > 0:35:31from maybe where it collapsed when they didn't
0:35:31 > 0:35:33speak to each other for so long.
0:35:33 > 0:35:38Whatever Ronald's last wishes actually were, in the end, thanks to the heir hunters,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41his money will go to his closest living relatives,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44his two daughters, Jennifer and Kathleen.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53Heir hunter, Gareth Langford, was trying to find the heirs
0:35:53 > 0:35:56of American singer-songwriter, Tim Rose.
0:35:56 > 0:36:01After quite a bit of research, he discovered this gifted musician was an only child,
0:36:01 > 0:36:04raised by his mother and a mysterious aunt
0:36:04 > 0:36:06who so far hasn't been named.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Gareth was pinning his hopes on this aunt having married
0:36:10 > 0:36:15and had children. As Tim's cousins, they would be in line to inherit.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20But despite all these hours of hard work and amazing discoveries,
0:36:20 > 0:36:25sadly, for Gareth, it looked like the hunt in England was over.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Once we'd read through all the information on the internet,
0:36:28 > 0:36:33it became apparent quite quickly there was very little we could do over here.
0:36:33 > 0:36:34He didn't marry.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37He was a bachelor, so there was no marriage to look for.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39He wasn't born over here,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42and it doesn't appear any of his family came over here either.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46At that stage, we had to hand it over to our American colleagues
0:36:46 > 0:36:48and see if they came up with any good leads.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51But for the time being, all Gareth could do was wait
0:36:51 > 0:36:55and the chances are, he'd have to wait quite a while.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Heir hunting in the US is a very different proposition.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Unlike the UK, they have no centralised record office for births, marriages and deaths,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05and each state has its own rules
0:37:05 > 0:37:07governing the release of this information.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13Several days went by before Gareth heard anything at all
0:37:13 > 0:37:16and when he did hear back, it wasn't good news.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20It appears that maybe the deceased was an only child of parents
0:37:20 > 0:37:22who were only children.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26This was a real blow to the whole investigation.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31That would mean there was no possibility of finding any heirs on this case.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33But Gareth wasn't giving up yet.
0:37:33 > 0:37:38Why would so many different sources on the internet talk about an aunt if she didn't exist?
0:37:38 > 0:37:42The more he read about Tim, the more convinced he became
0:37:42 > 0:37:45that there was going to be some value in this estate.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50The reason why the case was only very recently advertised
0:37:50 > 0:37:54is a bit of a mystery. The deceased died in 2002,
0:37:54 > 0:37:58but his estate was only advertised on the list in 2010.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01I don't know exactly why that's happened,
0:38:01 > 0:38:05but one obvious reason is that his albums are selling.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Royalties are due to him, and his estate needs to be settled.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13As a published singer-songwriter, Tim would have been earning royalties
0:38:13 > 0:38:17from the sale and performance of his records throughout his life
0:38:17 > 0:38:20and that would have continued from the eight years since his death.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24The reality is that even after you've died,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27you can earn money from your performances and your work
0:38:27 > 0:38:29for quite some time. Provided they're sold,
0:38:29 > 0:38:33provided they're played on radio or TV or in public places,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37accounts are made and by the end of the year it all tots up to being, hopefully, a significant sum.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42But how many records did Tim Rose sell over his chequered career?
0:38:42 > 0:38:45And were they still selling even after his death?
0:38:47 > 0:38:50I think Tim is the classic nearly-man of rock music.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52He was almost there on several occasions.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56There were several times where he nearly had a hit single in this country.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59He went on Top Of The Pops, he was on the radio a lot,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02he was playing live and getting lots of acclaim and good reviews,
0:39:02 > 0:39:04but it didn't quite happen.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07The highlight of Tim Rose's career was his first solo album,
0:39:07 > 0:39:08so he peaked early.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12It is a classic of its time, there's no doubt about it, it's a great album.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16One track on that record, Hey Joe,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19would prove to be the most important of Tim's career,
0:39:19 > 0:39:23but what success he had was soon overshadowed by another up-and-coming American artist.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28Very shortly after Tim did a version of the song,
0:39:28 > 0:39:33Jimi Hendrix had a hit single with a slow version of the song
0:39:33 > 0:39:36that sounds very, very similar to Tim's version,
0:39:36 > 0:39:40and he felt hard done by. Hendrix had the big hit with the song,
0:39:40 > 0:39:42but Tim had done the arrangement.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45Although Tim was disappointed that he never made the big time,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48in the end, it was the music and the fans that mattered.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54His first London show for nearly 20 years at the Half Moon pub in Putney,
0:39:54 > 0:39:56and it was absolutely packed.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58A lot of people remembered him at the time,
0:39:58 > 0:40:03and then a subsequent generation of people got into him as his records had been reissued.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07You could almost see him being blown away by the response.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11Very touchingly, I thought, at the end of the show,
0:40:11 > 0:40:15he stood at the door and shook hands with every member of the audience as they left.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18It was like a vicar saying "goodbye" to people leaving church.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22Only a few years after that sensational comeback,
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Tim's fans gathered at the Half Moon again.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27But this time, it was for his wake.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30Martin still comes here every year to remember his friend.
0:40:32 > 0:40:33Today is Tim's birthday.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37It's the day I come up to London to tidy the grave.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39I've called in here for a drink at the same time
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and bring back a few memories.
0:40:41 > 0:40:47When I play one of his CDs now, which I did on the way up here, in the car,
0:40:47 > 0:40:52it always means the same to me. The man is not dead, he's still with us.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55He's left his imprint on life, hasn't he?
0:40:55 > 0:40:58I mean, we can't get him back, but we can keep the music.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Tim was never in the first rank of rock 'n' roll earners,
0:41:01 > 0:41:05but his records were still selling to fans and connoisseurs,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07long after his death.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09And with the royalties that accrued over the years,
0:41:09 > 0:41:15it turns out that the nearly-man of rock may have left a sizable legacy, after all.
0:41:15 > 0:41:16Mr Tim Rose!
0:41:16 > 0:41:18CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:41:26 > 0:41:28But after all that, this heir hunt
0:41:28 > 0:41:30was still in the hands of the Americans.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34And unless they could find Tim's missing aunt, then any money that he had left behind
0:41:34 > 0:41:37would be going straight to the government.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42But two weeks later, Frasers got some fantastic news.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46Some records had turned up in America that proved that the aunt did exist
0:41:46 > 0:41:50and, what's more, she had living descendants.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53We've just heard back from our agents in America.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55It's good news, really.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58It sounds like they've found beneficiaries.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01At the moment, I don't know the full extent of the family.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Certainly all the agreements have been sent to them
0:42:03 > 0:42:05and they've spoken to all of them.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08They're aware, but we're waiting for the reports to come through.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14For Neil, it's a satisfying end to a very different kind of investigation.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17We've been able to identify a case,
0:42:17 > 0:42:20a case which we think has got value, even though initial thoughts
0:42:20 > 0:42:23indicated there probably wasn't going to be any value.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25We've been able to find the beneficiaries.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28We're the first people to find those beneficiaries and we've spoken to them.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31We're in a very, very good position.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36Fingers crossed now, a waiting game really, to see if the contracts come back to us.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40If you would like advice about building your family tree
0:42:40 > 0:42:42or making a will, go to:
0:43:05 > 0:43:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd