To close a bank account on behalf of someone who has passed away, you must have legal authority to manage the account. (Arizona Revised Statutes, Section 14-3971)You would simply get the form and instructions from the court's website, fill out the form and have it notarized.You can use this letter template to write to the bank to request the closure of a direct payments account following the death of the account holder. To close a bank account after death, you must completely liquidate its funds. Question: My mother passed away. She does have a will and I was nominated as the executer and trustee. In general, you can't. The bank will not allow you to close it unless you have a letter of authorization from the probate court.