The handwritten document, found under a cushion on Aretha Franklin’s sofa, is indeed a valid will, a jury in a US court ruled on Tuesday. The latter was seized to settle a dispute between the children of the “Queen of Soul”, who died in 2018, according to American media.
The legendary American singer, who died on August 16, 2018 in her city of Detroit, had left no official will. Only hand-scribbled documents, later discovered at his home, fueled years of conflict between his four sons. The documents, which are difficult to read, seem to share his property, in particular real estate, but also jewelry, furs, stereo equipment and musical rights.
One, dated 2010, was discovered in a locked cupboard. Another, dated 2014, had been found… under the sofa cushions.
Discord between the children of the singer
Edward and Kecalf Franklin, two of his sons, had favored the 2014 document, while another, Ted White Jr, claimed that the 2010 one was more legitimate. In both wills, an equal division of copyright between these three sons seems to be indicated. According to New York TimesClarence Franklin, the first child of the singer, suffers from mental health problems and lives under legal guardianship, his brothers having pledged to provide for his needs.
The decision of the jury, composed of six people, is particularly favorable to Kecalf Franklin and his children, who should inherit the main residence of the singer, a mansion located in an affluent suburb of Detroit. They should also inherit their mother’s cars.
The lawsuit focused on the signature on the 2014 document, which read “A. Franklin,” with a small smiley face design in the first initial, which Kecalf Franklin said was “characteristic” of the his mother’s handwriting. The jury delivered its decision after an hour of deliberation, ending a two-day trial. For years, managers of Aretha Franklin’s estate settled debts and paid back taxes, while generating rights to her music.