William Roberts Findlay - 'If you saw him you wouldn't think he had a dime'

He gave away more than $4 million (£2.5m) to Scottish organisations in seemingly random acts of generosity, but William Roberts Findlay drove an ageing Lincoln car, wore plain flannel shirts and mostly enjoyed the company of his pug dog, Midget.

"He was a regular guy, he would come over to the house and watch hockey," said Las Vegas barber Elton Marvin, who cut Mr Findlay's hair for 27 years and in the last year of his life appears to have become one of his few friends.

"If you saw him on the street, you wouldn't think he had a dime. I wouldn't have any idea what the estate is worth. I'm pretty sure it would be in the millions, but the exact amount I wouldn't know."

Mr Findlay, 79, known as Bill, was born in Ohio and had homes in Los Angeles and later Henderson, a city on the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada.

He appears to have worked as an investor with some success, and sometimes gave out stock tips. He used post office boxes as his mailing addresses, and never showed any interesting in the Las Vegas gambling scene.

The Henderson Police Department said Mr Lindsay shot himself with a Colt .32 hand-gun on 16 November.

Mr Marvin found his friend at his home after he missed a hairdressing appointment.

He believes Mr Findlay had been preparing for his death, visiting with his dog to get him used to the Marvin family home. He wore a heart monitor, and may have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

"He left me a bunch of treats and a couple of bags of food and a vet bill. As far as monetary, no, nothing at all. I love the dog, but so far it's cost me about $300. The folks in Scotland are doing all right."