'Law & Order's Jerry Orbach Cut Kids Out of His Will in Favor of Wife Who Let Doctors 'Take His Eyes' after Death

Jerry Orbach "was in dire straits" before his second marriage, and he and his second wife Cancilla used her savings to pay for child support. After the actor's death, his son Chris claimed their stepmother cheated them out of their inheritance, something she vehemently denied.

Jerry Orbach was a household name, earning himself the title of "one of the last bonafide leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on TV" for his roles in "Carnival," "Chicago," and "42nd Street," among many others.

His work was recognized worldwide, becoming one of Broadway's legendary leading men. However, his most outstanding work is starring in the police procedural and legal drama television series "Law & Order," which he joined in 1992, playing the world-weary, wisecracking NYPD homicide detective Lennie Briscoe.

Orbach starred in numerous episodes of the "prestige show" until he met his death shortly after the producers killed off his character. During his tenure in the show, Orbach shared many similarities with his character, Briscoe, like always being busy with work.

However, when he was not busy with work, Orbach was a husband and a father of two children, Chris and Tony, with his first wife, Marta Curro. The star married Curro in 1958, had two sons, and divorced in 1975.

He then began dating Elaine Cancilla and married her in 1979. At the time, he was under plenty of financial pressure as his divorce had wiped him clean. Cancilla retells:

"When I married Jerry, he was in dire straits. We used my savings to pay his alimony and child support."

Orbach's Death and the Fight over His Will

After reprising his "Law & Order" role for 12 seasons, Orbach finally left due to illness. He had prostate cancer and had received his first diagnosis in January 1994, only a couple of years into his stint on the show.

Luckily, the radiation therapy he received as treatment cured him, but the illness returned and metastasized later that year. Following his exit from the show in 2004, he underwent chemotherapy but ultimately succumbed to the disease.

Throughout the years, he kept his illness secret until only weeks before his demise. Following his death, the actor left behind a will that would forever cause disputes between the people he loved — his widow and two sons.

With an estate estimated at $10 million, his will did not appear to please his son Chris, who says he "saw red" once the lawyers read it to him.

His father had left trusts in his children's names, but according to the will, they did not revert to them until Cancilla passed away. Meanwhile, Chris says, Cancilla could bank all the interests generated from the funds and even take the principal amount at will. The lawyers had reportedly told Chris and his brother Tony:

"It would be nice if there's something there for you, but don't count on it."

In an angry letter to Cancilla, Chris says he believes that his stepmother, a former Broadway dancer, and actress, manipulated her late husband into cutting off his children from his will so she could have the entire actor's estate to herself.

Chris referred to her as a double-dealer, a liar, and a schemer, who used the help of her "cut-rate borscht-belt" lawyers to cheat the actor's children out of their father's money so she could never fly coach or ride the subway again.

Chris claims he only got two sweaters, a pool cue, a few CDs, and a pocketknife from his father. Orbach's ex-wife and Chris' mother, Curro, defended her son's letter and took a shot at Cancilla, calling her controlling.

Curro says she and Orbach remained close even after they divorced, and the actor often confided in her about Cancilla.

She says she would always laugh at Cancilla because of her poor fashion and other questionable decisions. However, she stopped when she realized that Cancilla was hurting her kids.

Orbach's Children Are in Cancilla's Will after All

Cancilla says she was shocked by the letter's contents, mainly because it came from someone with whom she thought she had a relationship. She shared that while she did not hate Chris, she did not understand where all the spew was coming from and that it was all untrue.

In the letter, Chris expressed his dissatisfaction that Cancilla had authorized his dad's eyes to be donated to the Eye Bank Association of America, something he says Orbach did not want.

However, Cancilla hit back, saying that Orbach had always wanted to be an organ donor upon his death. She disclosed that the two had often spoken about it during their many years of marriage.

Orbach reportedly joked that he could not donate his lungs or liver because he smoked and drank too much, but his eyes were in perfect condition as he could still see clearly and did not require glasses at 69. That did not, however, stop her stepson from expressing his anger.

He claimed that having to leave his father's deathbed so that professionals from the Eye Bank Association of America could perform the procedure still makes him sick and furious to this day.

In the letter, Chris also said that he and his brother did not challenge the will as it would strain them financially due to the high legal fees, but added that he knew in his heart that Cancilla had forced Orbach to leave them out of his will.

Cancilla, however, laughs at the notion. She says there was no way she could have manipulated Orbach into anything as she was small and was scared of everybody.

"Jerry was my hero. He set up his will to protect me. The money we earned from 'Law & Order' was for our retirement. His kids were in his will. And they are in my will, although I'm not sure Chris is going to stay there after this," she said.

Cancilla defends herself, saying she had always looked out for her stepchildren. She revealed she was paying fees for Tony's daughter's education and even gave Tony money to pay for his and his wife's house.

On the other hand, Chris says he does not want anything to do with Cancilla anymore as all he sees is a greedy person with her hands around a pile of marbles, crying: "all mine."