Photo: Aretha Franklin | The point of this article? No matter how young or old you are, get your Will written out and notarized to save your family a ton of trouble! | By Sam Cabral – BBC News | When Aretha Franklin died from pancreatic cancer in August 2018, it was thought that she had left behind no will for an estate worth millions. But months later, handwritten wills were found in a cabinet and under a sofa cushion at her home in suburban Detroit, Michigan.
A jury will now determine which of two documents should be ruled as the Queen of Soul’s valid last testament. [Update: The Court decided that the Notebook Will was legitimate.]
The trial began on Monday and is expected to last less than a week.
A six-person jury at the Oakland County Probate Court will hear from witnesses, including the Franklin children, her niece Sabrina Owens and a handwriting expert.
An 18-time Grammy Award winner, Franklin recorded dozens of chart-topping songs and was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
But the singer known for hits like Think, I Say a Little Prayer and Respect was intensely private about her finances and is said to have resisted preparing a formal will despite years of ill health.
When she died at age 76 the absence of a will meant her assets – including homes, cars, furs and jewellery – were to be equally split among her four sons.
> > > > > > > > >
Read the whole story here:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/aretha-franklins-sons-head-trial-201406600.html
Photo: Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin Sons Fight Over Will Found Under Sofa
