The late Aretha Franklin’s family have discovered her hidden Will which was locked inside a box in her home. This news is coming days after her estate took the decision to sell off some of her landed properties to offset her over $5.2million debt.
According to reports the head of Franklin’s estate, Sabrina Owens who was spearheading the move to sell off the landed properties belonging to the late soul Queen by seeking the permission of the court to allow it sell off some properties in the Bloomfield Hills, Michigan to pay off a tax debt of over $5millon, has informed the judge she found the singer’s will.
She explains that while at Franklin’s home in Michigan, she discovered a key to a cabinet that had been previously been locked and unable to be opened. Inside the cabinet, Owens found two purported holographic wills signed by Franklin. The documents were dated June 2010 and October 2010. She then found a spiral notebook in the living room couch with another purported will, dating back to 2014.
According to the wills, Franklin gave one of her homes to her son, Kecalf. He was also given an allowance for his monthly bills, along with Franklin’s other son, Edward.
She also included a caveat that Kecalf and Edward needed to attend “business administration” classes, or receive a degree, to be able to receive their share of the inheritance. However, Franklin also offered to pay for any education costs they needed
Franklin, who passed away last year, listed her royalties owed by Warner Music Group at over $1.6 million and wants the royalties evenly divided among her 4 children.
The music legend gave permission to sell off her cars, including her limousine and Thunderbird and split up her music memorabilia among her children.
The Queen of Soul threw a little bit of shade into her will, calling out one of her attorneys, David Bennett, as being “grossly inefficient.”
Franklin, who kept a very detailed account of her money, said she also owes a booker for a European tour between $6,000 – $7,000 but stresses that her estate should “scrutinize” the bill.
The documents filed in the probate explain Owens held a meeting with Franklin’s heirs, but they have not been able to agree on the validity of the handwritten wills.
(blast/yellowdanfo)