The sons of the iconic singer, Aretha Franklin are currently embroiled in a dispute over her discovered will, which was reportedly found under a sofa cushion several months after her passing, earning her the title ‘Queen of Soul.’
Having battled pancreatic cancer, the singer sadly passed away at the age of 76 in August 2018, leaving behind a valuable estate worth millions, yet without a formally documented and widely recognized will.
Several months after her passing, handwritten wills were unexpectedly uncovered under a sofa cushion and inside a cabinet at Aretha Franklin’s suburban Detroit home in Michigan.
An empaneled jury has been assigned the crucial role of assessing the discovered documents, carefully considering their relevance and authenticity and reaching a verdict on which one should be acknowledged as Aretha Franklin’s last statement.
On Monday, the trial got underway and is scheduled to wrap up within a week. Taking place at the Oakland County Probate Court, a six-person jury will be presented with testimonies from diverse witnesses, among them the singer’s children, her niece Sabrina Owens, and a knowledgeable handwriting expert.
In the absence of a will at the time of her passing in 2018, the assets of the 18-time Grammy Award winner, including properties, vehicles, fur garments, and jewelry, were divided equally among her four sons.
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Franklin’s third child, Theodore White II, resulting from her brief marriage to her former manager, argues that the notarised 11-page document from June 2010, recovered from a locked cabinet, should be regarded as the legitimate will.
However, Kecalf and Edward, her two other sons, maintain that the will dated March 2014, found in a spiral notebook under sofa cushions, should hold more significance as the primary will.
The younger brother contends that the 2014 document holds significant weight as it aligns with The Queen of Soul’s practice of reading her post and signing papers while comfortably seated on the couch.
The eldest child of the legendary singer, Clarence Franklin, is not included in the dispute. His residence in a Michigan assisted living facility, along with being under legal guardianship, exempts him from participating in the ongoing proceedings.
Aretha Franklin, the celebrated singer, maintained a high level of privacy regarding her finances and, despite enduring health struggles, is reported to have rejected the idea of creating a formal will.