Aretha Franklin at Radio City Musical Hall in 2012.Photo:Neilson Barnard/Getty
Neilson Barnard/Getty
Three ofAretha Franklin’s sons have been awarded the late singer’s properties more than five years afterher death at age 76.
On Monday, a judge in Detroit awarded the real estate based ona handwritten will from 2014 that had been found in between couch cushions. The will was declared valid under Michigan law in July, according to theAssociated Press, and overruled the other handwritten will that was found around the same time, which was dated from 2010.
Based on the will, Franklin’s youngest son, Kecalf Franklin, will get the singer’s “crown jewel,” as a lawyer described it — her Detroit home, which was valued at $1.1 million in 2018, per the AP.
Her second son, Edward, was awarded another property, and her third son, Ted White Jr., inherited a house in Detroit.
As for the “Respect” singer’s fourth home, the judge said the will did not specify who should inherit it, so it will be sold and the proceeds will be split between Kecalf, 53, Edward, 66, Teddy, 59, and Franklin’s oldest son, Clarence, who lives under legal guardianship and has not been involved in the trial, per BBC.
It’s worth over $1 million.
Kecalf’s attorney, Charles McKelvie, told the AP after the ruling: “This was a significant step forward. We’ve narrowed the remaining issues.”
Aretha Franklin’s son Kecalf accepts the Legacy Award on behalf of his mother.Brian Stukes/Getty
Brian Stukes/Getty
The 2014 will overruling the 2010 will was the outcome two of Franklin’s sons, Kecalf and Edward, were reportedly hoping for.
After the court ruled to favor the 2014 will in July, Kecalf told theAP: “I’m very, very happy. 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.”
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The latter notably removed a provision that the prior document had which stated that the two older sons “must take business classes and get a certificate or a degree" to benefit from the estate.
Aretha Franklin’s son Edward sings at her funeral service in Detroit in Aug. 2018.Scott Olson/Getty
Scott Olson/Getty
Franklin died in 2018 ofadvanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine typeat the age of 76.
Her family said in a statement at the time, “In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.”
source: people.com
