Aretha Franklin’s sons secure ownership of properties amidst will controversy

(WISH) — Aretha Franklin’s sons have been granted ownership of her properties after a will, discovered between couch cushions, was validated.

According to USA Today, a judge ruled Monday the late music icon’s four sons will receive distribution of her four properties based on the 2014 will, which takes precedence over a 2010 handwritten will found in a cabinet.

Kecalf Franklin inherits the property where both wills were discovered, another property goes to Edward Franklin, and Ted White II receives a property sold for $300,000. The fourth property is set to be sold, with proceeds distributed among the four sons.

A disagreement arose among the sons regarding their mother’s intentions, as both wills specified collective income from her music and copyrights but differed in executor appointments.

Franklin died of pancreatic cancer in 2018, The Associated Press says. Franklin was a global star for decades, known especially for hits in the late 1960s like “Think,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Respect.”