Personal things die with the person.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Rights and obligations that are purely personal — such as a personal license, a penal liability, or the duty to perform a personal service — expire with the death of the holder and do not pass to heirs or assigns.

Where this applies

• A professional license holder dies, and his family tries to continue operating his medical practice under his credentials; the court holds that the license expired with the licensee because personal things die with the person.
• A singer's exclusive personal-services contract terminates upon his death because the obligation to perform was purely personal and does not pass to his heirs.
• A criminal defendant dies before sentencing, and the court vacates the conviction because the penal liability was personal to him and cannot survive his death.