According to an article published in the 10 August 1996 issue of the Cincinnati Post , the childless Colbert left most of her estate , estimated at $ 3.5 million and including her Manhattan apartment and her home in Barbados , to a friend , Helen O'Hagan ( 1931 â '' ) , a retired director of corporate relations at Saks Fifth Avenue , whom Colbert had met in 1961 on the set of Parrish , the actress 's last film . The bulk of Colbert 's estate was left to a friend , Helen O'Hagan , a retired director of corporate relations at Saks Fifth Avenue , whom Colbert had met in 1961 on the set of the her last film and who cared for Colbert following her 1993 strokes .