R-E-S-P-E-C-T Your Legacy: Lessons from Aretha Franklin’s Will

I’m new to the Metro Detroit area—and I’m loving it here.
There’s a lot of pride in Detroit. People here wear Detroit T-shirts, Detroit hats—everything Detroit. We don’t need to go anywhere else when we have Detroit.

And one of Detroit’s greatest heroes—the Queen herself—is Aretha Franklin.
She’s still nearby, too: Aretha is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, just down the road from where I live.

Aretha Franklin passed away on August 16, 2018, at the age of 76. She was unmarried at the time and left behind four adult children, including a son with special needs.

Initially, it was believed that Aretha died without a Will.
But months later, in May 2019, her niece, Sabrina Owens—who had been appointed personal representative for Aretha Franklin’s estate—filed a petition in Oakland County Probate Court asking the court to determine the validity of some handwritten documents she had found while cleaning out Ms. Franklin’s home.

The story quickly became more complicated.

First, Ms. Owens found a key to a locked cabinet she hadn’t been able to open before. Inside were two handwritten documents, purported holographic Wills, dated June 21, 2010, and October 20, 2010.

In Michigan, holographic Wills can be valid—as long as the document was intended to be a Will, is dated, signed by the person making it, and the material parts are in that person’s handwriting.

But then, things took another turn.

Later that same day, Ms. Owens discovered yet another handwritten document—this time in a spiral notebook tucked under the living room couch cushions. It was dated March 31, 2014.

An online article published by the Detroit Free Press on May 21, 2019, shared links, below, to these handwritten documents and the court petition itself. If you take a look, you’ll see: the documents are hard to read. And even if you can decipher the words, the meaning isn’t clear.

• Aretha Franklin handwritten note Oct. 20, 2010

• Aretha Franklin handwritten will June 21, 2010

•Aretha Franklin handwritten will March 31, 2014

•Petition on admission of Aretha Franklin handwritten wills

The question of which document was valid—and what Aretha Franklin actually intended—remained undecided for years.

Finally, in August 2023, a Michigan jury determined that the 2014 document found under the couch cushions was Aretha’s valid holographic Will.

But even now, no one completely agrees on what the 2014 document means.

It’s a sobering reminder:
-Having a Will isn't enough if it's confusing, incomplete, or hidden away.
-Death readiness means making sure your wishes are clear, complete, and accessible.
-Your legacy isn't just what you leave behind—it’s how you leave it.

Taking the time now to create clear, intentional plans is one of the greatest gifts we can offer the people we love.

Aretha Franklin gave the world music that will last forever.
The challenges her family faced after her passing give us another gift:
The chance to prepare better—for ourselves and for those we leave behind.