Can husband collect life insurance if wife dies unexpectedly?
If the husband was the named beneficiary of the policy, if the
policy was in force at the time of death, and if the cause of death
was not excluded by the policy, the general answer is "Yes".
If the beneficiary was the estate of the wife, the proceeds are
paid to the estate. Then, if the husband was a beneficiary of the
estate (either by virtue of a Will naming him as beneficiary, or if
no Will, through the laws of intestate succession), he may be
entitled to all or a part of the insurance proceeds.
If the beneficiary of the life insurance policy was someone
other than the husband as of the time of the wife's death, proceeds
are payable to that person.