(New York) A handwritten document found under a sofa cushion at Aretha Franklin’s house constitutes a valid will, the jury of an American court seized on Tuesday to settle a dispute between the children of the “Queen of Soul”, who died in 2018, according to American media.
The legendary American singer, who died on August 16, 2018 in her hometown of Detroit, did not leave an official will, but hand-scribbled documents later discovered at her home fueled years of conflict between her four son.
The documents, which are difficult to read, seem to share his property, in particular real estate, but also jewelry, furs, stereo equipment and musical rights.
One, dated 2010, was discovered in a locked cupboard. Another, dated 2014, had been found… under the sofa cushions.
Two of his sons, Edward and Kecalf Franklin, favored the 2014 document.
Another, Ted White Jr, claims the 2010 document in the cabinet is more legit.
Both wills seem to indicate an equal distribution of copyright between these three sons.
According to New York TimesClarence Franklin, the first child of the singer, suffers from mental health problems and lives under legal guardianship, his brothers having pledged to provide for his needs.
The decision of the jury, composed of six people, is particularly favorable to Kecalf Franklin and his children, who should inherit the main residence of the singer, a mansion located in an affluent suburb of Detroit.
They should also inherit their mother’s cars.
The lawsuit focused on the signature on the 2014 document, which read “A. Franklin,” with a small smiley face design in the first initial, which Kecalf Franklin said was “characteristic” of the his mother’s handwriting.
The jury delivered its decision after an hour of deliberation, ending a two-day trial. For years, managers of Aretha Franklin’s estate settled debts and paid back taxes, while generating rights to her music.
The “Queen of Soul” died at the age of 76 on August 16, 2018 in Detroit from pancreatic cancer, after a six-decade career that made her one of the most respected artists in the United States. United.
Unforgettable performer of Respectthe diva was also a figure in the struggle for the civil rights of black Americans, who had sung at the funeral of Martin Luther King, in 1968.