Almost Three Years After Her Death, Aretha Franklin’s Poor Estate Planning Continues To Haunt Her Family—Part 2

Nearly three years have passed since Aretha Franklin, known as the “Queen of Soul,” died from pancreatic cancer at age 76. When she first passed away in August 2018, her family thought that Aretha died without any estate plan at all.

But since then, four different wills attributed to the late singer have been discovered. And ever since those documents came to light, her four adult sons—Clarence, Edward, Ted White Jr., and Kecalf—have been in court fighting one another over her assets, as well as who among them should be designated as the estate’s representative.

Estate PlanningErica EndykeMay 18, 2021aretha franklin, estate plan, poor estate planning, estate planning, tax debt, IRS, DIY planning, Lifetime Asset Protection Trusts, children inheritance, legacy, protective trust, personal family lawyer, estate planning attorney ma, erica endyke, 20westlegal

Almost Three Years After Her Death, Aretha Franklin’s Poor Estate Planning Continues To Haunt Her Family — Part 1

Nearly three years have passed since Aretha Franklin, known as the “Queen of Soul,” died from pancreatic cancer at age 76. At the time, her total fortune was estimated to be worth up to $80 million. Yet due to poor estate planning, the late singer’s children have yet to see a dime of their inheritance, and what they ultimately do receive will be significantly depleted by back taxes. Moreover, it’s still not clear whether or not Aretha ever had a valid will.

Estate PlanningErica EndykeMay 4, 2021estate planning, aretha franklin, queen of soul, poor estate planning, valid will, wills and trusts, three wills, sofa, spiral notebook, erica endyke, 20westlegal