When married and one of the partners die and no will is left are children entitled to anything?

Dear North Carolina, I practice in Illinois, so please be sure to consult an attorney in your home state for any variations in the law. In Illinois step children are not entitled to anything from the step parent's estate if they die without a will.  Step parents are generally required to designate gifts to their step children outright in their wills or else those children are entitled to nothing.  So the moral is....ALWAYS GET IT IN WRITING.  That step parent-while alive-might have loved those kids like he made them on the night of the honeymoon but upon dying without a will everybody will know indeed they were stepchildren.  The biological or adopted children on the other hand splits everything with the surviving spouse.  Hope that helps although I don't think it was quite what you were hoping to hear.  Best wishes with everything.