Five years after the passing of music icon Aretha Franklin, the resolution of her final wishes remains unresolved. The Associated Press reports that an unusual trial is set to commence next week to determine which of two handwritten wills, including one found in couch cushions, will dictate the handling of her estate. Despite facing numerous health issues and efforts to create a formal typewritten will, the Queen of Soul, who had four sons, did not have one in place. However, under Michigan law, it is possible to consider other documents with scribbles, scratch-outs, and unclear passages as her directives. The dispute centers around one son opposing the others. Ted White II believes that the papers dated in 2010 should primarily determine the estate’s fate, while Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin favor a 2014 document. Both wills were discovered in Franklin’s suburban Detroit home several months after her death from pancreatic cancer in 2018 at the age of 76.
Aretha Franklin was a globally recognized star for decades, renowned for her hits like “Think,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and “Respect.” She was honored like royalty in her passing, with her body transported in a 1940 Cadillac hearse to a Detroit museum where thousands of people paid their respects in August 2018. “She was the people’s diva,” sociologist Michael Eric Dyson remarked at the time. It was immediately evident that Franklin did not leave behind a will, which meant that her four sons would likely inherit her assets worth millions, including real estate in suburban Detroit, furs, gowns, jewelry, and future royalties from her work. Franklin’s niece, Sabrina Owens, agreed to act as the personal representative or executor. At the funeral, Franklin’s friend, businessman Ron Moten, advised her sons to proceed with caution and prudence. Months later, in the spring of 2019, the estate took a tumultuous turn.
Owens reported the discovery of a handwritten will from 2010 in a cabinet, and another handwritten will from 2014 was found inside a notebook under cushions in Franklin’s home. While there are differences between the documents, it appears that both indicate that the sons would share the income from music and copyrights, which makes that particular issue less contentious. The older will names Ted White II and Owens as co-executors, stipulating that Kecalf and Edward Franklin must pursue business education to benefit from the estate. However, the 2014 version removes White as an executor and replaces him with Kecalf Franklin, with no mention of business classes. Kecalf Franklin and Franklin’s grandchildren would inherit her primary home in Bloomfield Hills, which was valued at $1.1 million at the time of her death but has significantly appreciated since then. “It’s the crown jewel,” remarked attorney Craig Smith, who represents Edward Franklin.
Over the past five years, three different executors have handled Aretha Franklin’s estate at various times. Owens resigned in 2020, citing a “rift” among the sons. She was succeeded by Reginald Turner, a local lawyer who also served as president of the American Bar Association. The most recent accounting in March revealed that the estate had generated $3.9 million in income during the previous year, with an equivalent amount spent, including over $900,000 in legal fees to several firms. The total assets were estimated at $4.1 million, primarily comprising cash and real estate, although Franklin’s creative works and intellectual property were undervalued at just $1. Since 2020, the estate has paid at least $8.1 million to the Internal Revenue Service to settle tax claims after the singer’s death, according to court filings. “The IRS claims took priority. The estate could not proceed until the IRS was paid off,” Smith explained.
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