LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The legendary Howard Hughes, an aviator, film producer and investor, died 50 years ago, but it is hard to name anyone who symbolizes Las Vegas more than he.
Of the many mysteries in Hughes’ life, the circumstances surrounding his will after his death on April 5, 1971, continue to be the subject of speculation. While there are questions about the actual amount of money in the will, the story became larger-than-life with the introduction of Melvin Dummar.
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Dummar says he was on his way to Los Angeles in the winter of 1967, driving past the Cottontail Ranch brothel east of Death Valley, when he stopped to ‘relieve himself’ and says he spotted a disheveled old man on a dirt road off the highway. The man requested a ride to Las Vegas, and Dummar obliged.
Dummar says that as he was driving to Las Vegas the man told him he was Howard Hughes. Dummar didn’t believe him and dropped him off at the Sands Hotel…