Aretha Franklin will row takes turn as jury makes decision on note found in sofa

11 July 2023 , 19:20

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Aretha Franklin's handwritten will stands (Image: Michael Ochs Archives)

A jury has decided that a handwritten document by Aretha Franklin will stand as a valid will.

The note was found in her couch after her death and a jury in Michigan has now said it will stand. The news is a huge turning point in the current dispute over the late singer's estate as her sons battle against each other.

The case has rumbled on as a number of handwritten wills had been discovered. Two handwritten wills were found at her Detroit home months after her death, with one being found in a notebook between couch cushions and the other in a cabinet. The will found in the cabinet dates back to 2010 and lists Aretha's niece, Sabrina Owens, and Aretha's son, Ted White II, as co-executors of her estate.

Aretha Franklin's estate is being contested by her sons

In it, two of her other sons, Kecalf and Edward Franklin, are told they "must take business classes and get a certificate or a degree" in order to benefit from the diva's estate.

Ted however believes the 2010 document should dictate how the estate is handled, while Kecalf and Edward believe it's the 2014 will as it has a better deal in store for them.

Aretha Franklin's children battle over handwritten wills 5 years after her death

The most recent copy was found in a sofa cushion in 2019 and sees Kecalf listed as the executor. In it, there are no mention of business classes. It would see him would inherit his mother's home in Bloomfield Hills, which was valued at $1.1 million at her time of death.

The Respect singer died in 2018 (Amy Sussman/REX/Shutterstock)

It also allows Aretha's gowns to be auctioned or given to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

The one thing both wills have in common is that Aretha's oldest son, Clarence, who has unspecified needs, must be regularly supported.

The Respect singer gave birth to her oldest son Clarence in 1955 when she was aged just 12. Two years later, she gave birth to Edward who was fathered by Edward Jordan. Ted was born from Aretha's first marriage to the senior Ted White. Her youngest son Kecalf was born in April 1970.

Aretha died in 2018 at the age of 76. She had been battling pancreatic cancer for a number of years.

Jamie Roberts