Aretha Franklin’s Sons Squabble Over Handwritten Will

The discovery of handwritten wills in Aretha Franklin’s home has left the control of the estate in question. Two of the singer’s sons both argue they should be named the co-executors of the will, though a judge will determine the legitimacy of the documents found.

Theodore White II’s attorneys told a Michigan judge last week in a court filing that he should be named co-executor, or personal representative, along with Franklin’s niece, Sabrina Owens. He has been managing his mother’s estate since she died. But a 2014 handwritten document shows her son Kecalf Franklin was also named a representative, and a 2010 document has the names of White and Owens crossed out, but they appear again in the handwritten will.

Michigan state law allows handwritten will to be valid, though that is not the case in other jurisdictions.

See Rachel Tesler, Aretha Franklin’s Sons Squabble Over Handwritten Will, Fox Business, August 6, 2019.