The death of Aretha Franklin prompted a schism among her sons over control of her legacy, and the discovery of a claimed will on one of her sofas led to a courtroom triumph for one side of the sibling feud.
Aretha had four sons and did not leave behind a formal typewritten will.
Ted White Jr., aged 60, believes that documents from 2010 should have been used to manage the inheritance, while brothers Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin, aged 53, preferred a 2014 document that was found inside a sofa.
The 2014 will was discovered in 2019 after a niece searches the house for documents.
On July 11, a Michigan jury concluded that the late Queen of Soul’s handwritten will from 2014 will be the formal document in the allocation of her estate.
The famed Singer died on August 16, 2018, at her home in Detroit, Mich.
She was 76.
The cause of death was pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET), a rare form of cancer.
Aretha had been diagnosed with cancer in 2010, but she continued to perform and record until 2017.
Aretha’s death was a major loss for the music world.
Aretha was a true icon, and her music will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come, but her children, all of whom have followed in her footsteps in the music industry, can’t seem to work together.
Clarence Franklin and Edward Franklin are the sons of Edward Jordan, while Ted Jr. and Kecalf Cunningham are the sons of Ted White Sr.
Clarence, who resides in an assisted living facility under guardianship, did not take part in the trial.
“I’m very, very happy,” Kecalf told ABC News. “I just wanted my mother’s wishes to be adhered to.”
“We just want to exhale right now. It’s been a long five years for my family, my children,” he added.
Kurt Olson, White’s attorney, stated that the previous will was kept under lock and key. He stated that it was far more essential than papers discovered in a sofa.
A lawyer for Kecalf and Edward, Charles McKelvie, told the jury countered this claim in court, saying “You can take your will and leave it on the kitchen counter. It’s still your will.”
Both wills appear to state that Franklin’s four sons would split the proceeds from music and copyrights.
However, according to the 2014 will, Kecalf Franklin and his grandkids would inherit his mother’s primary residence in Bloomfield Hills, which was valued at $1.1 million when she died but is now considerably more valuable.
The 2010 will instructed that Kecalf and Edward “must take business classes and get a certificate or a degree” to benefit from the estate, but that clause is not included in the 2014 edition.
