A handwritten document found under a sofa cushion in Aretha Franklin’s home is a valid will, a US court jury heard on Tuesday in a dispute between the children of the “queen of soul music”, who died in 2018, the US reported. Mass media.

Artha Franklin’s contracts required the show’s promoters to “physically hand her $25,000 in cash” and only allowed checks for more than $25,000 to be paid. The money was to be given only to them, unless prior written permission was obtained signed by Aretha Franklin.

The legendary American singer, who died on August 16, 2018 in her hometown of Detroit, did not leave a formal will, but handwritten documents later discovered in her home ignited a years-long dispute between her four sons. At the time of her death, the financial status of the singer exceeded 80 million dollars.

The documents, which are difficult to read, appear to divide his assets, mainly property, but also jewelry, furs, stereo equipment and music rights.

One of them, dated 2010, was found in a closed closet. Another one, dated 2014, was found under the sofa cushions.

His two sons, Edward and Kecalf Franklin, preferred the 2014 document.

Another, Ted White Jr., says the 2010 document in the closet is legitimate.

The two wills seem to indicate an equal division of copyright among these three sons.

According to the New York Times, Clarence Franklin, the singer’s first child, suffers from mental health issues and lives under legal guardianship, with his brothers committed to taking care of him.

The six-member jury’s decision is particularly favorable to Kecalf Franklin and his children, who are set to inherit the singer’s primary residence, a mansion in an affluent suburb of Detroit.

They are also expected to inherit their mother’s cars.

The lawsuit focused on a signature on the 2014 document that read “A. Franklin” with a small smiley face in the first initial, which Kecalf Franklin said was “characteristic” of his mother’s handwriting.

The jury reached its verdict after an hour of deliberation, ending a two-day trial. For years, the trustees of Aretha Franklin’s estate paid off debts and back taxes while receiving royalties from her music.

The “Queen of Soul” died at the age of 76 on August 16, 2018 in Detroit from pancreatic cancer after a sixty-year career that made her one of America’s most revered female artists.

The unforgettable performer of the song “Respect”, winner of 18 Grammy awards, the diva was also an activist for the civil rights of black Americans, singing at the funeral of Martin Luther King in 1968.