A jury in Michigan says a document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her death is a valid will. It’s a critical turn in a dispute that has turned the music superstar’s sons against each other. The verdict is a victory for Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin. Their lawyers had argued that papers dated 2014 should override a 2010 will that was discovered around the same time in a locked cabinet at Aretha Franklin’s home in suburban Detroit. The Queen of Soul died in 2018 at age 76. Franklin’s estate has been paying bills, settling millions in tax debts and generating income. But the will dispute has been unfinished business.
A document handwritten by singer Aretha Franklin and found in her couch after her 2018 death is a valid Michigan will, a jury said Tuesday, a critical turn in a dispute that has turned her sons against each other.
It’s a victory for Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin whose lawyers had argued that papers dated 2014 should override a 2010 will that was discovered around the same time in a locked cabinet at the Queen of Soul’s home in suburban Detroit.
The jury deliberated less than an hour after a brief trial that started Monday. After the verdict was read, Aretha Franklin’s grandchildren stepped forward from the first row to hug Kecalf and Edward.
“I’m very, very happy. I just wanted my mother’s wishes to be adhered to,” Kecalf Franklin said. “We just want to exhale right now. It’s been a long five years for my family, my children.
