in spring of 1954, in new york city, just before his passing pascal had planned a trip to india to see meher baba one last time. he was having an affair and divorcing his wife at the time. one day he impulsively wrote on a piece of hotel stationery to his mistress, "if i die on my trip to india i leave my entire estate to you." he signed and dated it before two witnesses, a cook and a maid in the hotel who did not speak english but only chinese. this was an absurd gesture since pascal was totally in debt. he died within a short time of this letter in july 1954, and within two years of his death the musical "my fair lady", which pascal had managed to retain an option on by borrowing money from a baba follower named margaret scott, opened on broadway. thus, soon after his death, his estate, which had been worth nothing on his deathbed, grew to an estimated value of two million dollars. there was a large court battle in which his wife valerie (who he was not fully divorced from at the time of his death) and the mistress fought over his estate. his odd last will and testament on the hotel stationery was entered as evidence in support of his mistress and the case was well-publicized. several meher baba followers were involved in his life at the end including harold rudd who testified at his trial. the result of the trial was an even split of pascal's royalties from "my fair lady" between the mistress and pascal's estranged wife, each receiving well over one million dollars in settlement. his wife valerie attempted to pay back the borrowed option money to margaret scott, but by the time the settlement came through mrs. scott had fallen from a new york apartment window to her death. valerie therefore paid the money to margaret's daughter instead.