Who’s the daddy: Digging up the famous for DNA testing

Who’s the daddy: Digging up the famous for DNA testing

Paris, France | AFP |  The decision to dig up the remains of surrealist artist Salvador Dali, ordered by a Madrid court on Monday, will lead to the latest high-profile exhumation to settle a paternity claim.

Some examples from recent history:

– French crooner Yves Montand –

The remains of the popular French singer and film star, who died in 1991, were dug up in March 1998 at Paris’s Pere-Lachaise cemetery after a long legal battle. A 22-year-old woman, Aurore Drossart, sought to prove that she was his daughter; DNA tests showed this was not the case.

– Argentine icon Juan Peron –

The remains of the populist leader, who served three terms as president of Argentina, were exhumed in October 2006, 32 years after his death. A 72-year-old woman, Martha Holgado, claimed to be his daughter. DNA tests showed that she was not.

– Chess legend Bobby Fischer –

Fischer’s remains were exhumed in July 2010 in his adopted country Iceland to establish if nine-year-old Jinky Young from the Philippines is his daughter, as the girl’s mother claims in a row over his estate. Test results submitted to a tribunal in Reykjavik showed Fischer, who died in 2008 aged 64, was not the father.

– F1 champion Fangio –

The body of five-time Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio was exhumed in August 2015 in his native Argentina to settle a paternity dispute two decades after his death at age 84. Two men — Oscar Espinoza and Ruben Vazquez who brought separate cases claiming Fangio was their father were found via DNA to be his sons, according to the Argentine media in 2015 and 2016.