When Aretha Franklin died last year it left her millions of fans mourning her loss. Even almost a year later, the void can be felt whenever one of her timeless classics is heard. However, no one feels the pain of her absence more than her family. And now, as new information comes to light -after three handwritten wills were discovered in her home- her family has been jolted once again by shocking claims revealed by Aretha herself, regarding one of her children.
Right Under Their Noses
One of the biggest controversies surrounding Aretha’s passing was the fact that she had no known will to allocate her assets to her four sons Clarence, Edward, Ted, and Kecalf. We introduced the four of them to our ILOSM fam’ last year, after her passing. In addition to splitting her estate, there were also rumors of extreme tax debt Aretha had been facing for many years. Eventually after a thorough search at Aretha’s Detroit home, three handwritten wills were discovered, pretty much hiding in plain sight. From Black America Web:
The wills were discovered May 3, two in a locked closet for which the key was only recently located and one in a spiral notebook stuffed under cushions on a sofa.
The 16 pages reportedly reveal that Franklin was all about making sure her sons were treated fairly.
Her eldest son, Clarence, named after her father, was born when Aretha was just twelve years old and has special needs that require specific care. Aretha never disclosed Clarence’s special needs status, but there’s another secret she didn’t reveal until after her death as well. And it deals directly with who Clarence’s biological father is.
