Who Is Chandi Heffner? The Remarkable Life Story of Doris Duke’s Daughter

Chandi Heffner is an American philanthropist best known as the woman tobacco heiress Doris Duke legally adopted in 1988, when Heffner was 35 and Duke was 75. Their bond began with a shared interest in belly dancing and ended in one of the most publicized estate disputes of the 1990s. Heffner later settled her claim against the Duke estate for a reported $65 million and built a charity that serves people and animals in rural India. This article covers her early life, her years with Duke, the court battle, and the work she does today.

Chandi Heffner Bio Table

Detail	Information
Birth name	Charlene Gail Heffner
Known as	Chandi Heffner, Chandi Duke Heffner
Date of birth	August 26, 1953
Age	73 (as of October 2026)
Birthplace	Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Nationality	American
Parents	William Heffner and Barbara “Bunny” Heffner
Sibling	Claudia Heffner Peltz
Adoptive mother	Doris Duke (1912 to 1993)
Year of adoption	1988
Spiritual path	Hare Krishna movement
Reported settlement	$65 million (announced late 1995)
Profession	Philanthropist, foundation president
Organization	CDH International Foundation (CDHIF)
Foundation founded	1998 (most profiles)
Known for	Doris Duke adoption, estate dispute, charity work in India

Who Is Chandi Heffner?

Chandi Heffner is a philanthropist and the legally adopted daughter of Doris Duke, one of the wealthiest women in American history. Most people first learn her name through the Duke estate fight, which drew national headlines after Duke died in 1993.

Heffner was not born into money. She grew up in a modest family in Baltimore and found her own spiritual path as a young adult. Her life changed in the mid-1980s, when a chance connection led her into Duke’s circle.

Today she is more closely linked to humanitarian work than to the courtroom. She founded and leads a charity that provides medical and veterinary care in India, and she keeps a low public profile.

Where and When Was Chandi Heffner Born?

Chandi Heffner was born Charlene Gail Heffner on August 26, 1953, in Baltimore, Maryland. Several biographical profiles report this date, though few primary records are public.

Her father, William Heffner, worked as a lawyer and businessman. Her mother, Barbara “Bunny” Heffner, worked as a nurse. Profiles also name her sister, Claudia Heffner Peltz, as part of the family.

She reportedly attended Catholic school in Baltimore. Little is documented about her childhood, which is typical for a private person who became famous as an adult.

How Did Chandi Heffner Join the Hare Krishna Movement?

Heffner moved to Hawaii in the early 1970s and joined the Hare Krishna movement there. She was still a young woman at the time and was searching for a meaningful way to live.

She took the name Chandi, a Sanskrit word linked to a fierce form of the Hindu goddess Durga. Profiles describe the name as a symbol of strength and feminine energy.

Her spiritual practice shaped the rest of her life. It also explains her later focus on service, animal welfare, and cultural work in India.

How Did Chandi Heffner Meet Doris Duke?

Chandi Heffner met Doris Duke in the mid-1980s through a shared belly dancing teacher. Biography.com places the meeting in 1985 and describes Heffner as a 32-year-old devotee at the time.

Duke was in her seventies and lived part of each year in Hawaii, where she kept her Shangri La estate. The two women became close friends and spent long stretches together.

Duke bought Heffner a ranch in Hawaii, which Biography.com values at about one million dollars. Heffner also introduced Duke to Bernard Lafferty, the Irish butler who later became central to the estate battle. Duke had hired Lafferty in 1987, according to his biographical record.

Why Did Doris Duke Adopt Chandi Heffner?

Doris Duke adopted Chandi Heffner because she believed Heffner was the reincarnation of her daughter, Arden. Duke’s only child had died in infancy, and that loss stayed with her for life.

Duke formalized the relationship in 1988. Adult adoption is legal in many U.S. states, and it gave Heffner the status of a daughter under the law.

Not every source agrees on the year, and a few outlets list 1989. News reports from the 1990s and biography sources consistently give 1988. Those dates also match the ages reported at the time, 75 for Duke and 35 for Heffner.

For a short time, the arrangement gave Heffner access to Duke’s homes and her daily life. It also made her a visible target for people who resented her closeness to the heiress.

What Caused the Split Between Chandi Heffner and Doris Duke?

The relationship broke down in 1990, after Duke fell mysteriously ill at her Hawaii home. Reports say Lafferty then convinced Duke that Heffner and her boyfriend were plotting against her.

Duke left Hawaii for her Beverly Hills home. After that move, she cut Heffner out of her will and ended contact.

Some accounts say the adoption was revoked, with 1991 as a commonly cited year. Other sources describe the adoption as legally intact while Duke simply disowned her. Because court records are not widely published online, treat the revocation claim with caution.

Heffner has always rejected the idea that she meant Duke harm. She argued instead that others had isolated Duke from the people who cared about her.

What Did Doris Duke’s Will Say About Chandi Heffner?

Duke’s final will, signed on April 5, 1993, left Heffner nothing. A 1994 news report described the 37-page document as disinheriting Heffner twice and accusing her of seeking money.

Duke died on October 28, 1993, at age 80, in Los Angeles. Her estate was valued at about $1.2 billion, and most of it went to charity through what became the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

The will also named Lafferty as co-executor and left him a yearly bequest of $500,000. Duke’s former physician, who had served as executor before, challenged the new will.

Heffner entered the fight on two fronts. She filed an objection in New York’s Surrogate’s Court, arguing Duke lacked sound mind when she signed. She also sued in New Jersey’s Somerset County Superior Court for breach of contract, claiming Duke had promised to support her for life.

How Did the $65 Million Settlement Happen?

Heffner gave up her challenge to the will in exchange for a reported $65 million settlement from the Duke estate. Parties announced the deal in late 1995, and some sources place final approval in 1996.

The legal fight lasted more than three years, involved about 40 lawyers, and cost roughly $10 million in fees. Lafferty also reached a settlement, stepped down as co-executor, and received a payment of about $4.5 million.

A New York judge later removed Lafferty from his remaining role after accusations that he spent estate money on a lavish lifestyle. Lafferty died in 1996 at age 51 from natural causes.

The settlement ended the public battle. Heffner has rarely spoken about it since, and she has not published a memoir.

What Does Chandi Heffner Do Today?

Chandi Heffner runs the CDH International Foundation (CDHIF), a charity that provides free medical and veterinary care in rural India. Most profiles say she founded it in 1998 and still serves as president.

The foundation has two parts. CDHIF is a U.S.-based private charitable foundation, and it funds CDHIFI, a registered counterpart in India. The trustees reportedly include Heffner, K.P.S. Gill, and R.S. Suri, and they take no pay.

The charity treats people and animals. It also distributes food, blankets, clothes, temporary shelter, and equipment such as wheelchairs.

Reports say the foundation helps more than 80,000 human patients and about 50,000 animal patients each year. These numbers come from secondary sources, so confirm them against the foundation’s own materials before you cite them.

The foundation also supports Indian culture. It buys handicrafts from villages to keep traditional skills alive, and it sponsors competitions that give cash prizes to folk artists and musicians.

What Is Chandi Heffner’s Legacy?

Heffner’s legacy has two sides. Many people remember her as the center of a famous inheritance dispute, while others know her through her humanitarian record.

Her story also gives readers a case study in how wealth, isolation, and influence can shape a vulnerable person’s final years. Legal writers still use the Duke estate fight as an example of undue influence.

Her later life shows a clear shift in focus. She moved from public conflict to steady, quiet service.

Conclusion

Chandi Heffner went from a Baltimore childhood to Hawaii’s Hare Krishna community, then into the world of Doris Duke, where adoption, a bitter split, and a $65 million settlement made her famous. Since 1998 she has put her energy into the CDH International Foundation, which treats people and animals in rural India. Her story shows that a person can be defined by what comes after a public fight, not only by the fight itself.

Frequently Asked Questions About Chandi Heffner

1. Who is Chandi Heffner?
Chandi Heffner is an American philanthropist, born Charlene Gail Heffner, whom Doris Duke legally adopted in 1988. She is known for the estate dispute that followed Duke’s death in 1993 and for founding a charity that provides medical and veterinary care in India.

2. Is Chandi Heffner Doris Duke’s biological daughter?
No. Chandi Heffner is Doris Duke’s adopted daughter. Duke adopted her as an adult in 1988, when Duke was 75 and Heffner was 35. Duke’s only biological child, Arden, died in infancy, and Duke reportedly believed Heffner carried Arden’s spirit.

3. How old is Chandi Heffner?
Chandi Heffner is 73 years old as of October 2026. Several biographical profiles report her birth date as August 26, 1953, in Baltimore, Maryland. Official birth records are not public, so that date relies on secondary sources.

4. Why did Doris Duke adopt Chandi Heffner?
Doris Duke adopted Heffner because she believed Heffner was the reincarnation of her late daughter, Arden. The two women also shared a close friendship that began in the mid-1980s through a belly dancing teacher. The adoption gave Heffner the legal status of Duke’s child.

5. Did Chandi Heffner inherit Doris Duke’s fortune?
No. Duke’s final will, signed in April 1993, left Heffner nothing. Heffner challenged the will and sued for breach of contract. She then settled for a reported $65 million, a small share of the roughly $1.2 billion estate.

6. How much was the Chandi Heffner settlement?
The reported settlement was $65 million. Parties announced the deal in late 1995, and some sources place final approval in 1996. Heffner dropped her challenge to the will as part of the agreement.

7. What happened between Chandi Heffner and Bernard Lafferty?
Heffner introduced Lafferty to Duke, who hired him as her butler. After Duke fell ill in 1990, Lafferty reportedly convinced her that Heffner was plotting against her. Duke later made him executor, and Heffner fought that decision in court.

8. What is the CDH International Foundation?
The CDH International Foundation (CDHIF) is a charity that Heffner founded, most sources say in 1998. It funds free medical care, veterinary treatment, food, shelter, and wheelchairs for rural communities in India. It also supports traditional crafts and folk arts.

9. What religion does Chandi Heffner follow?
Heffner joined the Hare Krishna movement in Hawaii in the early 1970s. She took the name Chandi, a Sanskrit name tied to the goddess Durga and often described as feminine energy. Her spiritual beliefs have guided her charity work.

10. Where does Chandi Heffner live now?
Profiles describe Heffner as living quietly in Hawaii and spending time in India for her charity. She avoids publicity and rarely gives interviews. This article does not list a specific address, because she is a private individual.