Entertainment Gists
Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin’s Four Sons Drag Themselves To Court Over Her Two Handwritten Wills 5-years After She Died From Pancreatic Cancer
Five years after her death, the final wishes of music icon Aretha Franklin are yet to be settled.
A trial will begin next Monday to determine which of two handwritten wills, including one found in couch cushions, will guide how her estate will be shared.
According to Mail Online, the Queen of Soul, who had four sons, did not have a formal typewritten will in place despite efforts to get one done.
But under Michigan law, it’s still possible to treat other documents with scribbles, scratch-outs, and hard-to-read passages as her commands.
Ted White II, one of his sons, believes papers dated in 2010 should mainly control the estate, while Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin favor a 2014 document. Both were discovered in Franklin’s suburban Detroit home, months after her death from pancreatic cancer in 2018 at age 76.
‘Does it surprise me that someone passed away before they had their ducks in a row? The answer is never,’ said Pat Simasko, who specializes in wills and estates and teaches elder law at Michigan State University College of Law.
‘This can be settled any time, on the steps, halfway through trial,’ he said. ‘And hopefully it will be. Going to a jury trial is a war.’
Franklin was a global star for decades, known especially for hits like ‘Think,’ ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ and ‘Respect.’
She was treated like royalty when she died, and her body was transported in a 1940 Cadillac hearse to a Detroit museum with thousands of people visiting.
‘She was the people´s diva,’ sociologist Michael Eric Dyson said at the time.
It was immediately known that Franklin had died without a will, which meant her four sons likely would share assets worth millions, including real estate in suburban Detroit, furs, gowns, jewelry, and future royalties from her works. A niece, Sabrina Owens, agreed to be personal representative or executor.
‘My advice? Go slow, be careful, and be smart,’ Franklin’s friend, businessman Ron Moten, told the sons at the funeral.
Owens reported that a handwritten will dated 2010 was found in a cabinet and another handwritten will, dated 2014, was discovered inside a notebook under cushions at Franklin’s home.
There are differences between the documents.
The older will lists White and Owens as co-executors and says Kecalf and Edward Franklin ‘must take business classes and get a certificate or a degree’ to benefit from the estate. But the 2014 version crosses out White’s name as executor and has Kecalf Franklin in his place. There’s no mention of business classes.
Kecalf Franklin and grandchildren would get his mother’s main home in Bloomfield Hills, which was valued at $1.1 million when she died but is worth much more today.
‘It´s the crown jewel,’ said Craig Smith, attorney for Edward Franklin.
The eldest son, Clarence, according to court papers has been diagnosed with a mental illness and lives with assistance in a group home outside of Detroit.
In one of her wills, his mother instructed her other sons to check in on Clarence weekly and ‘oversee his needs’. In this 2014 will, he is not even listed as a beneficiary.
Aretha Franklin wrote in 2014 that her gowns could be auctioned or go to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. She indicated in both papers that the oldest son, Clarence, who lives under a guardianship, must be regularly supported.
‘Two inconsistent wills cannot both be admitted to probate. In such cases the most recent will revokes the previous will,’ Charles McKelvie, a lawyer for Kecalf Franklin, said in a court filing in favor of the 2014 document.
But White’s attorney, Kurt Olson, said the 2010 will was notarized and signed, while the later version ‘is merely a draft.’
‘If this document were intended to be a will there would have been more care than putting it in a spiral notebook under a couch cushion,’ Olson said.
Simasko, the law instructor, said final wishes can be fulfilled in Michigan through an informal will.
‘If you´re sitting there on a Sunday afternoon and you start handwriting your own wishes, the law allows it as long as the rules are followed: It’s in your handwriting, it’s dated and it’s signed,’ he said.
For five years, Aretha Franklin’s estate has been handled at different times by three executors. Owens quit in 2020, citing a ‘rift’ among the sons.
She was succeeded by Reginald Turner, a local lawyer who also served as president of the American Bar Association. His last accounting in March showed the estate had income of $3.9 million during the previous 12-month period and a similar amount of spending, including more than $900,000 in legal fees to various firms.
Overall assets were pegged at $4.1 million, mostly cash and real estate, though Franklin’s creative works and intellectual property were undervalued with just a nominal $1 figure.
The estate since 2020 has paid at least $8.1 million to the Internal Revenue Service, which had a claim for taxes after the singer’s death, court filings show.
‘The IRS claims took priority. The estate wasn’t going anywhere until the IRS got paid off,’ Smith said.
Josh2Funny’s Album Has Fans Talking — But Should He Stick To Music Or Skits? 😂🎶
Nigerian comedian and content creator Josh2Funny has taken his comedy game into music, and Nigerians are definitely having something to say about it.
The comedian released his 15-track album, “On Behalf of Josh,” on July 10, 2026, but instead of fading away after release, the project has continued to generate conversations on X.
And the big question now is:
Should Josh2Funny continue with music or go back to skits? 😂
Fans have been divided. While some listeners openly criticized the album and told him to return to comedy, others found songs they genuinely enjoyed.
One X user joked:
“Josh2Funny stopped doing skits and started music, Everybody wan chop this music money 😂”
Another simply said:
“This Josh2Funny Album no enter make he just go back skit abeg 😂”
But then came “Lembe.” 🔥
The track caught fire on X and eventually became a trending topic in Nigeria. The #LembeChallenge also gained momentum as creators began jumping on the song.
Josh2Funny later announced ₦1 million for winners of the challenge, giving the song another major push.
And it didn’t stop there.
‘INTERNATIONAL’ FT. ICE PRINCE ALSO TRENDED
On another day, “International” featuring Ice Prince generated its own buzz on X.
One fan even called it their favourite song from the album, while praising the collaboration. The post itself pulled thousands of views, showing that people weren’t only talking about Lembe.
From album criticism to trending songs and challenges, “On Behalf of Josh” has kept Josh2Funny’s name in the conversation.
Whether you love the album or think he should return to skits, one thing is clear:
Josh2Funny has succeeded in getting Nigerians talking. 😂🔥
So, let’s settle this once and for all:
Should Josh2Funny continue with MUSIC 🎶 or return to SKITS 😂?
Music or Skits? Drop your answer! 👇
RUAN-Badkid.96 is a Nigerian recording artist whose music refuses to live inside a single genre. Blending Afrobeat, Afrofusion, trap, hip-hop, melodic rap, R&B, and global influences, he creates records that move effortlessly between raw street energy, soulful storytelling, and infectious melodies. Whether delivering hard-hitting bars, emotional love songs, or rhythm-driven African records, his sound is defined by authenticity rather than limitation.
Inspired by both African culture and international music, RUAN-Badkid.96 embraces the confidence and ambition of global hip-hop while staying deeply connected to his roots. His lyrics explore love, heartbreak, betrayal, friendship, social injustice, hope, and the everyday realities of life. He doesn’t create music to follow trends, he creates music to reflect truth, emotion, and human experience.
Behind his fearless image is an artist who believes in kindness, equality, justice, and genuine human connection. His appearance may be intimidating, but his message is rooted in compassion and authenticity. Every record carries a piece of his journey, proving that strength and vulnerability can exist in the same voice.
For RUAN-Badkid.96, music is more than entertainment, it’s a language, a testimony, and a lifelong mission to connect with people through honesty, versatility, and unforgettable sound.
Entertainment Gists
Meet the Man Who Turned Hype Into a Science: Emmy Blaq, Nigeria’s G.O.A.T. of Hype
If you have ever been at a Nigerian event and found yourself on your feet before the main act even stepped on stage, there is a good chance a hype man was responsible. But not just any hype man. Emmy Blaq, born Ikechukwu Emmanuel Chima and raised in Auchi, Edo State, has spent the last few years quietly becoming the most talked-about name in that profession, and the Nigerian press has taken notice. Punch, Vanguard, The Guardian Nigeria, The Nation, and Independent Newspaper have all sat down with him, and every conversation leads back to the same thing: this man does not just make noise; he makes moments.
What makes Emmy Blaq different is the journey behind the energy. Before the stages, the collaborations with Waje on her “Waje 2.0” album, DJ Consequence, and DJ Kaywise on the massively streamed “Joor Party Mix” series, he was repairing generators, cutting hair, and sewing clothes in Auchi. His first professional hype gig happened at a local fast food spot called Valchi, and the crowd response that night changed everything. He told The Nation directly: “My passion for entertainment and desire to make people happy led me into the craft.” Punch also captured his bigger mission when he said that hype men deserve more than what they currently earn, a statement that sparked a real conversation across Nigerian entertainment circles.
With over 1.7 million TikTok followers, 23.6 million TikTok likes, a viral “Wife Material” challenge that landed on Pulse Nigeria’s top ten social media moments of 2021, and an international performance at the Cameroon International Music Festival that Cameroonian media described as electrifying, Emmy Blaq is not building toward something. He is already there. The G.O.A.T. of Hype is not a title he gave himself and hoped would stick. It is one the rooms keep confirming every single time he grabs the mic.
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