Help the Family of Billy Name

This is a request to help fund the legal fees for a challenge to the Estate of William Linich, the artist known to the world as Billy Name. He was the photographer for Andy Warhol’s factory and many of his photographs have become iconic images documenting that time. My dad, Carl J. Linich, was Billy’s older brother.

To my sisters and me, “Billy Name” was our uncle. He referred to himself as “Uncle Bill,” “Uncle Krunkle,” “Unk,” or any other fun incarnation of these names. Many people know who Billy Name was, but fewer know of William Linich, or as he called himself to his family, “Bill.”

My sister Susan was closest to him of all of my sisters; he had no children, and she decided to “adopt” him back in the 90s. She was a caretaker for him, acting as close to a daughter as one might imagine.

Uncle Bill made Susan executor to his estate and, after his death, the court approved her status a year ago.

Though Uncle Bill died in July of 2016, someone has now come forward to challenge our family's claim to his estate. The new will in question was signed a year before our uncle’s death, and only eight months after a health crisis that placed him in assisted living. All this has come up just as Susan thought probate was nearly finished.

We feel confident that we have ample evidence to have this will refuted, but the depositions involve costs well beyond our family's means. We want our uncle's legacy to remain in the family, as we know he intended, and so we are asking for your help. Though we've already spent thousands, the legal fees continue to grow, and we really need to keep on top of them. We're aiming for 10k initially, and every dollar pledged will go directly to covering the legal fees, nothing else. We have one large invoice due as I type this, so your pledge right now will be put to immediate use.

Perhaps you’ve been a caretaker, or have witnessed abuses that can occur among our elder population. We’re prohibited from speaking specifically here as to what happened, but if you feel moved and have the means to lend your support, it would be truly appreciated. Even very small amounts can help us if many of us pitch in. So please contribute, or if you're unable to, perhaps you could share this campaign with friends and on social media. With your help, we hope that the legacy of both “Billy Name” and William Linich can be preserved and honored. Thank you so much for your support, thoughts, and prayers.

Carl M. Linich (Billy's Nephew)