Dennis Hopper Divorce Shocker

Dennis Hopper, who is reportedly facing his 'final days surrounded by family and friends,' filed for divorce yesterday from his wife of 14 years, Victoria Hopper, the mother of their six-year-old daughter Galen.

Victoria is wife number five, but this marriage has far outlasted the previous four, which included the 8-day marriage to Michelle Phillips. He and Victoria have been together for 18 years. So what happened?

Adding to the confusion, a family friend told Huffington Post that Hopper is mentally incapacitated from the enormous amounts of medication he is on given his state.

A long time friend of the couple said, "It's truly a tragedy, and sadly its all about the money and who inherits what. This is about getting Victoria out of the will, nothing more, nothing less."

Hopper has three grown children, Marin, Henry and Ruthiana, although he reportedly has not spoken with Ruthiana in recent years. Both Marin, her daughter and Henry have lived for years in the same Venice, California compound as Dennis, Victoria and Galen and continue to do so at this juncture.

Hopper has been battling cancer for almost a decade, but has rapidly declined in recent months.

Comments

[organicgal]

08:35 AM on 02/12/2010

Didn't realize he was so ill. It ain't over till it's over and I hope someone in Mr. Hopper's camp would suggest alternativ­e cancer treatments (Gerson, etc) though if he's had mucho radiation and chemo, he may have no immune system left to rally back to health/lif­e.

[MikeDu]

06:01 PM on 01/18/2010

Sounds like the scenes from the film Elegy are being replayed in real life.

[berrycooda]

11:32 AM on 01/18/2010

Ohhh...mon­ey...THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL...

Brings out the best and the worst in people.

[Blaster]

10:30 AM on 01/18/2010

Must greed follow him to the grave.

[bazokbros]

02:08 PM on 01/18/2010

Look at the age diffrence between the two and lots not pretend that his money and status didn't make him a WHOLE lot more attractive than had he been a regular guy. Works both ways regardless if she truly will admit it.

[Farzan]

09:28 AM on 01/18/2010

Deathbed divorce. I am touched.

[tiredofwaiting]

10:25 PM on 01/17/2010

why aren't my comments posting?

[brettrobbins]

06:58 PM on 01/17/2010

So sorry to hear about Mr. Hopper. Had no idea. And sorry I had to learn about it in the context of nonsense about divorce, money, etc. One of the greatest, most authentic actors ever (check him out in the Tarantino-­penned "True Romance," for example, or pretty much any of his 200 [no that's not a typo] films), and one of the most seminal directors as well (thanks especially to "Easy Rider"). I know we all eventually have to go, but this will be a big one for me.

[Uncle Bill]

04:40 PM on 01/17/2010

The man is dying, and the topic of discussion is what's really important to all involved- his money.

[RockyMissouri]

02:56 PM on 01/17/2010

Dennis has been a brat for a very long time, why should he be any different now...

[stuckintx]

08:28 PM on 01/17/2010

Sadly, I concur.

[dlvme2]

02:23 PM on 01/17/2010

No one on here knows exactly what is life is or has been like with this woman. I would also think that if he is that mentally incapacita­ted this change of will would not hold up. But none of this is our business as it is his money, family etc. what he does with it all is his right.

[MaryfromIL]

04:41 PM on 01/17/2010

Yes and no. The spouse is entitled to a certain percentage if the person dies, and a divorce settlement amount if they get divorced. So he can't totally do what he wants with the money.

[brettrobbins]

09:19 AM on 01/18/2010

Just replace "is" with "should be" in dlvme2's final sentence and then he/she is perfectly correct. Marriage is such a scam. How anyone can still fall for it is beyond me.

[katedog]

12:48 PM on 01/17/2010

Pulling a Nate Fisher?

[Kunstundwunder]

11:12 AM on 01/17/2010

As posted yesterday, Victoria Duffy Hopper has forced his hand; he is very clear about what he is doing. He is protecting his legacy and the other heirs. See NY Social Diary, January 7th column: http://new­yorksocial­diary.com/­node/15608­60
Mr Hopper's will provides adequately for the fifth Mrs. Hopper. In a reading of the will (forced by Mrs. Hopper and her lawyer), " it was learned what she and each of the man’s children were receiving, her share being the largest. Fair and equal." But this was not enough for her. While he was in the hospital, she removed a substantia­l amount of paintings from the house, with other valuables. She and the disappeare­d over the Christmas holidays with their 6 year daughter. The "family friend" listed here is clearly a friend of Mrs. Hopper, since the facts reported on NY Social Diary come first hand through another "family friend" who has Mr Hopper's ear (and best interests) in mind. He certainly had no intentions or desire of spending his last days in a litigious battle with his fifth wife.

[NYnaff]

11:44 AM on 01/17/2010

Kunstunwon­der clearly has a horse in this race, look at his former postings. Battling a private matter in public is tacky at best. There is a small child involved and many people's lives hang in balance. The constant re-posting of an "article" from someone's blog, trying to stir public opinion against Mrs Hopper is pathetic. This is a terrible time for everyone involved. Dennis AND his wife deserve better than this. Allow both of them some dignity.

[Kerris]

02:53 AM on 01/18/2010

Exactly. Adult children, the new wife who displaced their mother, a young child involved, his money, her rights, the baby's needs.... this is very messy. And none of our business.

Think well of his legacy to us -- his films.

and move on

[fresno500]

06:23 AM on 01/18/2010

It is what it is. She did it, own it.

[LaPeche]

08:07 PM on 01/18/2010

How the hell do you know what the will provided for? Were you at the reading of the will? How do you know what's fair and equal? That article that you keep referring to from a puff piece-y gossip rag is obviously written by someone who is friendly with Marin. They did a piece on her wedding, which has since followed in the Hopper family tradition of total failure. They don't point out that his "children" are actually grown adults, completely dependent on him for everything including the roof over their heads. The tip-off for me was when they said "Mrs. Hopper is said to be quite volatile." Mrs. Hopper?!? That is an absolutely laughable and ludicrous statement. There is quite a bit of volatility in the Hopper household, but you can be certain it doesn't emanate from Mrs. Hopper.
You keep posting this link over and over as if it has any merit, which anyone who knows them at all, knows it does not.

[gorgonzola99]

08:46 PM on 01/18/2010

All true, LaPeche. Mrs. Hopper is the opposite of volatile, while Dennis' explosive temper is well-docum­ented. Dennis' daughter Marin, the new executor of the will, is most certainly the source of the NY Social Diary piece, but WHY she chose to air any of this dirty laundry is perplexing­. Anyone digging would certainly find unflatteri­ng facts about each member of that family. They all need to keep this private for their own sake.

[chariotdrvr14]

10:21 AM on 01/17/2010

Sorry about all the "last will" freakin nonsense..­.... what can you do?

But I'm even sorrier to hear that Hopper is dying.
He has made an enormous contributi­on to film history through his art as an actor.
I'm sad to hear that he is near his end... but then we all go there eventually­.
I wish him a peaceful transition and his family, peace.

[barbie1212]

10:19 AM on 01/17/2010

I think that a woman who has stuck by you for 14yrs and given you children deserves to be treated better than this. I hope his request is denied. I don't think the courts should allow this kind of garbage to take place.

[FrankTalk]

10:06 AM on 01/17/2010

I think it isn't anybody's business. The shenanigan­s that go on by potential heirs when someone of means approaches death are ubiquitous­. Money makes people do weird things. We don't know how much this man is being manipulate­d. I buried my father, my mother in law, my grandmothe­r, my mother and my spouse over a 10 year period. Every death brought the trash out of the woodwork looking for a buck, looking for control and looking for trouble. Yes, some people come around just to cause trouble! In addition to my personal experience­, I have worked with terminal patients for over 20 years and, as I mentioned, this kind of agitation occurs in many passings. People get weird where money is concerned. Bless Dennis Hopper's heart and bless those who truly love him. I hope he has a peaceful death free of drama. Let's give him and his family some privacy at this special time.

[MaryfromIL]

04:50 PM on 01/17/2010

You are right, many families are broken up over wills. Some members will do unbelievab­ly skanky actions at that time. I've seen normal people do and ask for outlandish things.

And the enmity between step parents and grown children can be horrible. I know of no friends or family members whose fathers have remarried that received a penny.

I'm sure that's not always true, but it is in my lengthy experience­. All the money went to the new wife. The hurt those children feel from being ignored by the parent in their final bequest is emotional, not financial. Kudos to Hopper for caring for his older children.