Jay Leno, the 74-year-old comedian and former host of “The Tonight Show,” is preparing for his exit from the spotlight. With a lifelong passion for cars, he is making end-of-life arrangements that include a significant donation to a museum focused on automobiles.
Following his late-night television career, Leno launched a web series titled “Jay Leno’s Garage,” where he showcased his love for cars and motorcycles. The series, which aired from 2015 to 2022, attracted over 3.7 million subscribers on YouTube.
In November 2022, Leno sustained severe burns in a garage fire in Burbank, California, while working under a car. The incident resulted in third-degree burns and the loss of his left ear. Just two months later, he was involved in a motorcycle accident, which left him with a broken collarbone, cracked ribs, and fractured kneecaps.
Despite these health challenges, Leno’s love for his wife, Mavis, remains strong. The couple, who married in 1980 and chose not to have children, is now navigating new difficulties as Mavis, now 77, battles dementia. In April 2024, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted Leno conservatorship over Mavis’s inheritance due to her declining health and reduced mental capacity.
Court documents indicate that Mavis has been increasingly losing her awareness of time, space, and even her husband, Jay. Her neurologist, Dr. Cohen, emphasizes that, despite her condition, Leno continues to care for her with unwavering devotion.
Jay Leno granted conservatorship over wife Mavis after dementia diagnosis trib.al/iFfIr8y
Leno is also making arrangements for his own passing. In recent filings, he has outlined provisions for Mavis’s care and specified how their estate should be managed. The estate will be divided into the Leno Marital Trust, which includes Leno’s impressive $52 million collection of cars and motorcycles. After both Leno and Mavis have passed, the remaining assets will go to the JDM Foundation, a nonprofit he founded in 1988, which will establish a museum to display his treasured car collection.
Additionally, Leno plans to leave $7 million to his nephew, Richard Leno, and Mavis’s brother, Rikki Nicholson, who lives nearby. The court is expected to approve Leno’s trust revisions.
As Leno prepares to step away from the public eye, it’s difficult to envision a world without his humor and love for cars. Let’s share this story and extend our warmest wishes to Jay and Mavis Leno as they navigate this challenging time.
