The patent rights would go to the heirs of the deceased, not the remaining living patent holder.
I read about this theory long ago.
I'm not going to go by that article from reflectionofmind, the facts of which may not even be true.
True, but I don't see why a joint tenancy would've been entered into rather than tenancy in common since the patent holders were not kin, friends, or close business associates as far as I know.
Canada Trump
The other patent holders don't necessarily take possession of a deceased patent holders share.
Like you said, the facts are sketchy, and determining which probate laws would apply is difficult because state law governs property ownership and probate.