America and music: Aretha Franklin’s sons found a home in a handwritten will hidden in her bed.

Sons of one of the greatest singers of all time Ared Franklin They got her house because of a will found in her bed.

The decision comes four months after a jury ruled that the will was valid, albeit difficult to read.

Franklin signed his will with a smiley face instead of the letter A.

The 2014 documents replaced another handwritten will from 2010 that was discovered in 2019 at the singer’s Detroit home, the judge said.

The decision was a victory for Aretha Franklin’s youngest son, Kecalf, who, according to a 2014 document, said the music star wanted her son to inherit his estate without leaving a formal will.

He and his grandchildren will inherit her suburban Detroit mansion, which was valued at $1.1 million but is now worth much more.

The attorney described the mansion as the “royal jewel” of Franklin’s estates.

Another son, Ted White II, an heir in the 2010 will, inherited a second home in Detroit.

Before the will was discovered, the house was sold for $300,000.

“Teddy is looking for money from the sale,” his attorney said Tuesday.

Judge Jennifer Callaghan awarded the second estate to third son Edward Franklin in a 2014 will.

Aretha Franklin’s fourth home, worth more than a million dollars, is also expected to be sold, and the proceeds will be split between her four sons.

The judge said that the 2014 will did not clearly mention to whom the house should be given.

“This is an important step forward. We have narrowed down the remaining issues,” Gecalfi’s attorney, Charles McKelvey, told The Associated Press after the verdict.

When Franklin died of pancreatic cancer in August 2018, it was believed that he had not prepared a will to divide his estate, which was worth about six million dollars.

Assets include real estate, money, gold records, furs and copyrights to his music.

However, nine months later, his cousin Sabrina Owens, who was the administrator of the estate at the time, discovered two separate handwritten documents at the singer’s home in Detroit.

A version dated June 2010 was found in a locked desk drawer with music contracts and other documents.

The most recent version, from March 2014, was in a notebook with the singer’s drawings, which was tucked under the cushions on the sofa in the living room.

Aretha Franklin’s sons agree that the 2010 document is authentic, but cannot agree on whether Franklin actually signed the 2014 document.

Both documents state that Franklin wanted his sons to share in the profits from his music and copyrights.

However, the options differ significantly in other respects.

A 2014 document states that Franklin willed his $1.1 million home to Gecalf, while a 2010 document will divide his estate equally among his heirs.

Kegelf told the court that his mother often sat on the couch after finishing work, and he did not find it strange to find the will there.

Ted, who toured with his mother as a guitarist, told the inquest that his mother would have written the will “regularly and legally”, not by hand.

His lawyer argued that the will from 2010 was under lock and key in the house, not under the pillows.

Ultimately, the jury, within an hour, decided to distribute the property based on the will from 2014.

Not included in this discussion are Aretha Franklin’s eldest son, Clarence, who is not living independently and has a guardian.

According to an agreement between his guardian and the brothers, he will receive an undisclosed percentage of the sale of the assets.

The debate over how to divide the musical legacy is still ongoing, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for January.

Franklin has been one of the biggest stars in soul and R’n’B music for decades, recording hits such as respect, I say a little prayer, Rock steady I am Think about it.