US singer Aretha Franklin’s sons battle over handwritten wills 5 years after her death
- ‘Queen of Soul’, who had four sons, did not have a formal, typewritten will in place
- However, there were two handwritten wills, with one found under cushions and the other in a cabinet
Five years after her death, the final wishes of music superstar Aretha Franklin are still unsettled. An unusual trial begins on Monday to determine which of two handwritten wills, including one found in couch cushions, will guide how her estate is handled.
The Queen of Soul, who had four sons, did not have a formal, typewritten will in place, despite years of health problems and efforts to get one done. But under Michigan law, it is still possible to treat other documents – with scribbles, scratch-outs and hard-to-read passages – as her commands.
The dispute is pitting a son against other sons. Ted White II believes papers dated in 2010 should mainly control the estate, while Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin favour a 2014 document. Both were discovered in Franklin’s suburban Detroit home, months after her death from pancreatic cancer in 2018 aged 76.
“Does it surprise me that someone passed away before they had their ducks in a row? The answer is never,” said Pat Simasko, who specialises in wills and estates and teaches at Michigan State University College of Law.
“This can be settled any time, on the steps, halfway through trial,” he said. “And hopefully it will be. Going to a jury trial is a war.”
Here’s a look at the case:
