PONTIAC, MI (CelebrityAccess) – One of the world’s most prolific and respected singers, Aretha Franklin, passed away in 2018 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. However, the iconic singer did not leave behind a formal, typewritten will dictating instructions for her estate. In light of that and in accordance with Michigan Law, Franklin’s estate would be split evenly between her four surviving children; Clarence Franklin, Edward Franklin, Ted White Jr. and Kecalf Cunningham.
However, two handwritten documents were discovered in her suburban Detroit home after her death. One, dated 2010, was found in a locked cabinet; the other, dated 2014, was found inside the late singer’s couch. Both handwritten wills, filled with scribbles and oftentimes, hard-to-read passages were brought to light in late 2018 after Franklin’s niece Sabrina Owens searched through her Aunt’s home for records.
Owens and Franklin’s third oldest son, Ted White Jr, were listed as co-executors of the estate in the 2010 version of the will. Owens removed herself as a co-executor in 2020 due to disagreements among the family.
The emergence of those two documents has splintered her family and created a standoff between brothers (Edward and Kecalf against White), eventually leading to a fight inside a Michigan courthouse.
Both versions of the will indicate that Franklin’s four sons would share all income from her music and copyrights. But, in the 2014 version, Kecalf and his grandchildren would get her principal residence in Bloomfield Hills, valued at over $1 million at the time of her death but reportedly worth much more today.
In the older version of the will, it was stipulated that Kecalf and Edward “must take business classes and get a certificate or a degree” in order to benefit from the estate. Franklin must have had a change of heart, as that condition was not included in the 2014 revision.
White Jr. testified against the 2014 will, saying his mother would typically get important documents done “conventionally and legally” with an attorney’s assistance and the fact that the 2010 version was found “under lock and key” inside the cabinet, according to NPR.
Edward and Kecalf’s lawyers argued that the papers dated 2014 should supersede the 2010 version because it was the most recent.
The law agreed and ruled on Tuesday (July 11) in favor of Edward and Kecalf stating the 2014 version is the one “true” will. The Guardian reports the Jury had concluded the 2014 version had her name signed at the bottom with a smiley face written inside of the letter A.
The Guardian reports that Franklin’s assets, once valued at approximately $80 million, now sit at roughly $6 million due to unpaid taxes and more recent estimates. During litigation, the estate managers have been paying bills, settling millions in tax debt and generating income through music royalties and other intellectual property (IP).
Franklin’s oldest son, Clarence was not involved in the litigation as he lives with special needs in an assisted living facility in Michigan and has remained uninvolved. His guardian’s lawyer informed the BBC that they “have reached a settlement that gives Clarence a percentage of the estate without regard of the outcome of the will contest.”
