4 handwritten pages wedged into a couch deemed Aretha Franklin's legal will
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When Aretha Franklin died in 2018, her family members initially believed she hadn't left a will behind — until they found two separate handwritten documents at her home in suburban Detroit.
One was dated from 2010 and found in a locked cabinet; it runs about a dozen pages, is fairly detailed and notarized, and features Franklin's signature on every page. The other document, found in a spiral notebook under a couch cushion, was from 2014 and just four pages long, with a smiley face featured as part Franklin's signature.
The two documents, both discovered in May 2019, divided Franklin's children for years, until Tuesday when a Michigan jury decided that the 2014 document should serve as her legal will.
Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS via Getty Images Aretha Franklin
According to The New York Times, both documents contained "detailed lists of assets, along with what seemed to be extraneous information, like dismissive comments about some of the men in Franklin's life."
Classic Aretha.
That a sofa should hold the key to the Queen of Soul's estate seems fitting for a woman who was both an undisputed genius and remarkably practical.
Franklin was famous for always having her pocketbook with her, whether she was performing for kings and presidents or just shading today's bright young things and their gowns. Their beautiful gowns.
Franklin demanded cash up front, which she placed securely in her trusty handbag before performing. But that kind of due diligence apparently didn't extend to her last will and testament.
Without the presence of a will, Franklin's assets would have been equally divided among her four sons: Kecalf, Edward, and Clarence Franklin (the latter of whom has been diagnosed with mental illness and has a court-appointed guardian), and Ted White Jr. Originally, Kecalf and Edward supported the 2014 document and White favored the one from 2010.
Under the 2014 will, Kecalf, Edward, and Ted are to receive equal shares of their mother's musical royalties, with the three brothers reportedly agreeing to support Clarence. Meanwhile, Kecalf and his children will receive the majority of Franklin's property including a $1.1 million home in Michigan, a Mercedes-Benz, two Cadillacs, and a Thunderbird convertible.
According to court documents, Franklin's assets also include $4.1 million in personal property and real estate, $42,000 in furs, $73,000 in jewelry, and a little more than $1 million in the bank. That, however, does not include future earnings and royalties, nor the treasure trove of shade from which future generations will surely benefit.
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