Leaving no will at the time of her death, these siblings have been squabbling for years over their inheritance. However, thanks to a discovery under a couple of couch cushions, Aretha's intentions for her estate are now laid to rest.
From TMZ:
A jury determined a handwritten document found in Aretha Franklin's couch is a valid will ... a major development after years of her kids battling over her estate.
The ruling on the hard-to-read pages came in Tuesday in a Michigan court. The will was found in 2019 -- the year after she passed -- in a notebook tucked under the couch in Aretha's Detroit home.
The docs, dated March 31, 2014, are significantly different from a 2010 draft of her will.
The newer pages apparently designate her sons Kecalf and Edward as executors of her $6 million estate, and it looks like the name "Teddy," AKA Ted White II -- their brother who was pinned as executor in the 2010 version -- is crossed out.
What's more, the 2010 will appeared to require Kecalf and Edward would have to take business classes, and get a degree or certificate to benefit from Aretha's estate -- but the 2014 version doesn't include that requirement.
What a random discovery, right?
One has to wonder if Aretha was scribbling all of this down to later prepare a proper will for her children or if this was simply intended to be her will.
Either way, it's a good thing it was found and put an end to her children's fighting.
