Clive
It has to be paid off before anything that is left is given away according to your will or the intestacy rules. Your executor is responsible for doing that, and selling off anything that needs selling to pay debts. Once everything is paid off, what is left can be given away to whoever inherits it.
If your debts are more than you are worth, we have an insolvent estate and this is treated exactly the same as going bankrupt. Everyone who is owed money gets their percentage of what they are owed, they can suck on air for the rest, and there's nothing left for anyone to inherit. What does NOT happen is anyone else has to help pay your debts. Your debts are YOUR debts, not anyone else's. So anyone you might have wanted to leave anything to doesn't get a bean, but they are also not liable to pay anything.
Judy
Any assets you have will go toward it before anything goes to heirs. Any debt left does with you.
Stoo
Your estate liquidates everything you have and debts are paid off first. It doesn't transfer to anyone else - but if you had ideas of giving family money or property in your will, that's not going to happen before the debtors
are paid.
Wayne Z
Any assets will be sold to pay the debt.
If there is still debt left, it ends with you.