Judge divvies up Aretha Franklin’s real estate among her sons, cites 2014 handwritten will

The ongoing debate about which of Aretha Franklin‘s multiple wills should be used to determine the handling of some of her estate has come to and end. 

The Associated Press reports that Michigan Judge Jennifer Callaghan awarded the late star’s real estate to her sons, citing a handwritten will from 2014 that was found between couch cushions. 

The more recent will overrides a handwritten will from 2010 that was found at Franklin’s suburban Detroit home in 2019, the judge said, per AP. 

Her son Kecalf Franklin will inherit that suburban property, valued at more than $1.1 million; her son Ted White II was awarded a different house in Detroit, although that home was sold for $300,000.

“Teddy is requesting the sale proceeds,” Charles McKelvie, an attorney for Kecalf, said.

Aretha’s son Edward Franklin will get another of the four homes she had at the time of her death in 2018. 

Learning of the two different wills months after she passed away led to a dispute between her sons over how their mother wanted to divvy up her assets. 

Though the real estate battle has been solved, it’s still unclear how Franklin’s music assets will be split, AP says, noting that it seems the sons would also share any funds.

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