Aretha Franklin's Lawyer Explains Why The Singer Didn't Have A Will For $80M Estate

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Aretha simply ran out of time.

Aretha Franklin AKA the Queen of Soul passed away on August 16th from pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. As we previously reported, the "Respect" singer left no will and her $80 million estate had no proper home after her death. According to Entertainment Tonight, Aretha's lawyer of 28 years, Don Wilson, says the reason for no will was simply because she didn't get around to it. 

"I tried to convince her that she should do not just a will but a trust while she was still alive,” he said. “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.” The publication reports that Aretha's four sons Clarence Franklin, Edward Franklin, Kecalf Franklin and Ted White Jr will have their mother's assets equally divided between them. Aretha's niece, Sabrina Owens, has been granted the executor and will present her case in front of a judge. 

Other assets belonging to Aretha include property in the Detroit area worth $2 million. 


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