Getty
TMZ is reporting that according to court documents it obtained, Aretha Franklin had no will when she died last week of pancreatic cancer.
When a person dies without a will, in legal parlance known as dying ‘intestate,’ it’s up to state law, in this case the law in Michigan, to figure out how her property will be distributed. Property meaning bank accounts, securities, real estate, or any other assets including future royalties and other monies she would earn in the future. For land or property she may have owned, if she did, in any other state, that state would also be involved in the distribution of her assets.
Under Michigan law, it’s reported, her four sons will inherit her estate and share in it equally.
The Queen of Soul lay ill in hospice in her home for several days before she passed away at 76. She was surrounded by family when she died.
The music icon and legendary singer had a musical career that spanned more than 60 years. Her hits “Respect,” from 1967 and “Natural Woman” from 1968 are among the world’s most famous and recognizable songs.
When it was announced that the soul diva, legend and musical icon died Thursday morning, Franklin’s publicist and family spokeswoman Gwendolyn Quinn issued the following statement:
“In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in your heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins new no bounds.”
Franklin was described as “more enduring than royalty,” by Pres. Barack Obama, a close friend.
The icon had struggled with her weight, alcohol and she was for a time, a heavy smoker. In 2011, she canceled a concert tour to have a surgery that was rumored to have been to remove cancerous tumors. She never confirmed the diagnosis but a year later, in 2011, she had a comeback concert but the comeback didn’t last as over the next few years, she canceled several big dates to deal with undisclosed medical condition. It was revealed that she died of pancreatic cancer days after she died.
Franklin, married twice, has four surviving sons, Ted White Jr., Kecalf Cunningham, Clarence Franklin and Edward Franklin.
Her funeral is Aug. 31 at Greater Grace Temple in Detriot.
This is a developing story.