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Three handwritten wills found in Aretha Franklin's home

Lawyers had said the Queen of Soul left no will, but three handwritten versions were found early this month, one of them under living room cushions.
Image: Aretha Franklin
Singer Aretha Franklin performs at the Chicago Theater in Chicago, Illinois in 1986.Raymond Boyd / Getty Images file
By Associated Press

PONTIAC, Mich. — Three handwritten wills have been found in the Detroit-area home of Aretha Franklin months after her death, including one that was discovered under cushions in the living room, an attorney for Franklin's estate said Monday.

The latest one, which is dated March 2014, appears to give the famous singer's assets to family members. Some of the writing is hard to decipher, and the four pages have words scratched out and phrases in the margin.

Franklin was 76 when she died August of pancreatic cancer. Lawyers reported that she had no will at the time, but three handwritten versions were discovered in early May.

David Bennett, an attorney for Franklin's estate, filed the wills Monday. He told a judge that he wasn't sure whether they were legal under Michigan law.

A hearing was scheduled for June 12.