Howard Hughes left $156M in his will to Melvin Dummar, a gas station worker who claimed to have given Hughes a ride in 1967 - but this popular story is likely false according to experts.

According to Dummar's account, he found a beaten Hughes on the side of US Route 95 near the Cottontail Ranch brothel and drove him to Las Vegas. Nine years later, after Hughes' death, Dummar claimed he received a will leaving him 1/16th of Hughes' $12 billion fortune.

However, multiple factors discredit this story:

• Hughes never left his Desert Inn penthouse room during this period, according to Hughes scholar Geoff Schumacher
• The "Mormon Will" contained obvious errors, including misspellings and references Hughes would never have made
• Hughes was severely ill and reclusive, making the story highly improbable
• The will was ruled a forgery by a Nevada jury in 1978

By 1966, Hughes was living as a recluse in Las Vegas, struggling with:

• Codeine addiction
• Poor personal hygiene despite germaphobia
• Severe physical deterioration
• Mental health challenges

When Hughes died in 1976, his condition was dire:

• Weighed only 90 lbs at 6'1"
• Had broken needles in his arms
• Died of kidney failure
• Was found with various drugs in his system

While Dummar maintained his story until his death in 2018, evidence strongly suggests the will was fraudulent. Though a 2005 book by FBI agent Gary Magnesen attempted to support Dummar's claims, scholars remain unconvinced due to the overwhelming evidence against the story's possibility.

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