MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES: Half a decade after her death, the final wishes of music sensation Aretha Franklin remain unresolved. A strange trial is scheduled to begin June 10 to determine which of two handwritten wills, one of which was found in a sofa cushion, will decide the fate of her estate.
Although the Queen of Soul, who was the mother of four sons, struggled with health problems for years and attempted to make a formal, typewritten will, she was unable to do so. However, under Michigan state law, other documents, even those with scribbles, erasures and hard-to-decipher paragraphs, can be recognized as a legitimate expression of her will.
The disagreement has led to a conflict between one of their sons and the others. Ted White II believes the 2010 papers should settle the estate, while Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin rely on a 2014 document. Both wills were discovered at Franklin's residence in suburban Detroit a few months after her death at age 76 in 2018 when she succumbed to pancreatic cancer.
The story behind Aretha Franklin's wills
After the death of Aretha Franklin at the age of 76, it became known that the famous Queen of Soul had not made a will. Since 2018, her family had been preparing for a possible legal battle over her extensive estate, which included not only a fortune of $80 million but also valuable assets such as real estate, jewelry, furs and future royalties. A trial was scheduled to begin on July 3 to determine which of Franklin's two handwritten wills would be considered the definitive instrument to carry out her last wishes.
In accordance with Michigan law, unfinished documents that contained an individual's final wishes were eligible to be recognized as a valid will. The legal dispute regarding Aretha Franklin's estate revolved around the conflicting opinions of her sons. Ted White II, one of Franklin's sons, argued that his mother's 2010 note should be regarded as the guiding document for her estate.
Conversely, Franklin's other sons, Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin, contended that a more recent 2014 document should be acknowledged as their mother's last legally binding wishes. Both of these documents were discovered at Franklin's Michigan residence after her passing.
What happened next?
In light of Aretha Franklin's absence of an official last will and testament, her niece, Sabrina Owens, was appointed as the executor of her estate. During the spring of 2019, Owens disclosed the discovery of two handwritten wills at Franklin's residence. The first will, dated 2010, was found in a cabinet, while the second was discreetly tucked away in a notebook beneath a couch cushion.
Although both wills indicated that all four of Franklin's sons would share in the income generated from her music and copyrights, they diverged in terms of who was designated as the executors of her estate. The 2010 will listed Owens and White as co-executors and included a stipulation that Kecalf and Edward would need to pursue business education and obtain a certificate or degree to qualify for the benefits of their mother's estate. Conversely, 2014 will replace Owens with Kecalf as the co-executor and did not mention any requirements related to business education, degrees, or certificates.
