Aretha Franklin’s handwritten Will leads to family dispute.

The queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, who died in August 2019 aged 76, was thought to have died without a Will. That was until a handwritten Will, believed to have been written in 2014, and found in a cushion cover suggested otherwise. In the handwritten Will, the singer had requested that her youngest son act as the executor of the estate.

Until the discovery, the estate was to be distributed equally between the singer’s four sons. However, the new discovery has meant that this could change the situation. The family are contesting the experience and skills of the youngest son to administer the estate correctly.

Worryingly, it is thought that almost one third of people die without a Will. If you die without a Will, it means that your estate is distributed under the rules of intestacy. Which could mean that your wishes on who and what is inherited by your loved ones may not be honoured. To find out more about the rules of intestacy, please click here.