The final wishes of singing star Aretha Franklin will be adjudicated starting next Monday in a trial that will determine which of two handwritten wills will be honored.
Millions in royalties are at stake in the legal action. Franklin was a music superstar, known for massive hits like “Respect” and “Think.” She had four sons, but never created a formal, typewritten will, despite years of health problems and an historic legacy.
Instead, she left two handwritten documents, including one found in a couch. Son Ted White II believes papers dated in 2010 should mainly control the estate, while sons Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin favor a 2014 document. Both were discovered in Franklin’s suburban Detroit home months after her death from pancreatic cancer in 2018 at age 76.
A niece, Sabrina Owens, agreed to be personal representative or executor.
Months after Franklin’s funeral, Owens found a handwritten will dated 2010. Another, dated 2014, was found in a notebook under cushions in Franklin’s home. Both indicate the sons would share income from music and copyrights.
The older will lists White and Owens as co-executors. It also says Kecalf and Edward Franklin “must take business classes and get a certificate or a degree” to benefit.
The 2014 version crosses out White’s name as executor and has Kecalf Franklin in his place. Kecalf Franklin and grandchildren would get his mother’s main home in Bloomfield Hills, which was valued at $1.1 million when she died, but is worth much more today.
Michigan law states that a handwritten will is valid if it’s in the deceased’s handwriting, is dated and is signed,