Questions regardingAretha Franklin’s estate will finally be answered thanks to a handwritten will found under a sofa cushion.
The legendary singerdied of pancreatic cancerat the age of 76 on Aug. 16, 2018. Franklin waswithout a will at the time of death, leavingher sons Edward and Kecalf FranklinandTed White Jrin the middle of a dispute.
Lawyers for Kecalf and Edward favored the 2014 document, according to theAssociated Press. The outlet reported that Franklin’s fourth son Clarence lives under legal guardianship and did not participate in the trial.
The AP reported that the later document allowed Kecalf and her grandchildren to inherit Franklin’s home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It also had the removal of a provision from the 2010 document which said that Kecalf and Edward “must take business classes and get a certificate or a degree” to benefit from the estate.
Attorneys for Kecalf and Edward stated in their closing arguments on Tuesday that the fact that the 2014 document was found in a sofa cushion did not make it any less valid.
After the jury ruled in favor of the will from 2014, the Associated Press reports that Franklin’s grandchildren stepped forward to hug Kecalf and Edward.
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“I’m very, very happy. I just wanted my mother’s wishes to be adhered to,” said Kecalf, according to the Associated Press. “We just want to exhale right now. It’s been a long five years for my family, my children.”
source: people.com
