Alexander McQueen’s lasting legacy

To many who knew the late British designer Alexander McQueen, the fact that he left $82,000 to his three dogs is no surprise.

McQueen loved to showcase his favorite furry friends whenever he could whether it be on the runway or feeding them Big Macs during interviews. At the "My Most Treasured …" exhibition in London in 2008, McQueen displayed a collection of pictures of his dogs as his most valued possessions while most celebrities showed off jewelry or accessories.

McQueen commit suicide at his London apartment on February 11, 2010, and his death is considered an immense loss of talent to the fashion industry.

The 40-year-old designer left far more behind than just his three dogs. McQueen became a part of history when one of his company's designers, Sarah Burton, was chosen to create the royal wedding dress for Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge's marriage to Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.

Celebrities as hot as Madonna and A-list designers as famous as Marc Jacobs recently honored McQueen in May, 2011, at the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The gala opened an exhibition of McQueen's designs at the Met that has hosted 550,000 fans so eager to see McQueen's work that the Met has held after-hours viewings and is extending the exhibition dates longer than ever before, reports The New York Times. 

The designer is not the first to leave so much money to his pets. The late hotel heiress, Leona Helmsley, earned the title, "Queen of Mean," when she left in her will $12 million to her dog, Trouble (who has since died), and not a cent to her own grandchildren.