Months after singer Aretha Franklin died of pancreatic cancer in 2018, two wills have been found, one in a closet and one under a sofa cushion in her home in Detroit, USA.
The case has reached the court, and now the jury will determine which of the two documents is considered the last valid will.
The trial began on Monday and the singer’s four children, her niece Sabrina Owens and a handwriting expert are expected to appear at the Oakland County Courthouse.
Known as the “Queen of Soul”, Aretha Franklin died at the age of 76 in August 2018. And for several months after her death, no will was known so that all her assets would be divided equally among all the children.
However, nine months later, two wills were discovered in his house, and now one of the sons claims that the document found in a closed cabinet and dated June 2012 is the real will, while the other two defend that the document is from March 2014. found under the sofa cushion should be considered.
On Monday, Judge Jennifer Callaghan said the only decision the jury has to make is whether the 2014 document can be declared valid because it was contained in a notebook that was only handwritten and the other document was notarized. .
Known for such hits as Respect, natural woman or There is no wayAretha Franklin has won 18 Grammy Awards and is the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an Ohio museum dedicated to the history of pop and rock’s most influential artists.
The artist’s fortune was estimated at 80 million euros after her death, but recent estimates and debts resulting from non-payment of taxes for several years have reduced it to 6 million.