Prior to Aretha Franklin’s passing, her lawyer insisted that she prepare a will, to which he was unsuccessful.
Prior to her death on the 18th of August, The Queen of Soul’s lawyer made attempts to convince Franklin to prepare a will, but was unsuccessful. When asked the question regarding the reason why the will was not completed, Don Wilson explained that it was not a case of the legendary singer being against the creation of a will, it was merely due to her running out of time.
Wilson stated: “I tried to convince her that she should do not just a will, but a trust, while she was still alive. She never told me, ‘No I don’t want to do one.’ She understood the need. It just didn’t seem to be something she got around to.”
Franklin’s estate, which is estimated to be worth $80 million, reportedly has $2 million in property in Michigan, as well as ownership of each song she wrote. The estate is being divided amongst her four children, who have split the sum equally.
Wilson also noted: “I would imagine she probably felt she was entitled to more, but probably received more than a lot of artists from the time, especially African-American artists.”
