Pavarotti's U.S. will scrutinized

PESARO, Italy, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- A judicial investigation is being conducted into tenor Luciano Pavarotti's state of mind at the time he signed a will dealing specifically with his U.S. assets.

Investigators are looking into what Pavarotti's physical and mental conditions were on July 29 when he signed the document in Pesaro making his widow, Nicoletta Mantovani, the sole administrator and beneficiary of a trust fund containing all of his assets in the United States, ANSA reported Tuesday.

A will addressing Pavarotti's overall estate was signed a month earlier in his hometown of Modena.

The famed Italian singer died Sept. 6 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 71.

The investigation was prompted by media reports that claimed Pavarotti had been unhappy with certain terms of the "American" will.

But lawyers for Pavarotti's wife argued the "American" will was an appendix to the official, "Italian" will, which Pavarotti had drawn up in June.

They added that a decision to create the trust fund in the United States was made months before his "Italian" will was drawn up and that plans for creating the fund existed in May, ANSA said.