(11 of 11)
In life, Howard Hughes was able to conceal most of his foibles and fancies from public view. But if the case goes to court, the various claimant sides will be forced to reveal as much as they can about his state of mind and his way of life in order to prove the validity of their own claims to his fabulous wealth. It seems quite likely that the looming litigation will peel back the layers of mystery. They still cloak Hughes in much the same manner as the yellow sheet that shrouded his emaciated corpse on his last flight home.
* For TIME'S cover portrait, Artist Barron Storey worked from old photos of Hughes and eyewitness descriptions provided last week by the two pilots of the ambulance plane and the Houston customs inspector who admitted the body to the U.S.