An ugly family feud has erupted over ARETHA FRANKLIN’s multimillion-dollar fortune after the Queen of Soul announced she was planning to wed her longtime boyfriend.
Aretha’s four grown sons are deeply concerned that 64-year-old Willie Wilkerson, their mother’s mate of 26 years, is planning to cash in on the legendary performer’s $60 million estate once the couple ties the knot – and they’re afraid they’ll be out of their inheritance!
Now family insiders tell The ENQUIRER the men are begging their soul-singing mom to sign a prenup before walking down the aisle.
After New Year’s,twice-married Aretha announced that she and Willie – a former Detroit firefighter who now markets a juice-based health drink – had gotten engaged and were planning to tie the knot aboard a private yacht in Miami Beach this coming summer.
Last year, sources told The ENQUIRER that the 5-foot-5 singer – a former smoker who had let her weight soar to 300 pounds – was fighting for her life after undergoing surgery in Detroit for pancreatic cancer.
Aretha, 69, refused to disclose the exact cause of the December 2010 surgery and denied she was battling cancer. She now claims to have put the health scare behind her, and says she’s lost 85 pounds and feels “fabulous.”
“Her four sons have all been involved in her career in one way or another and continue to be very close to their mother – and protective,” a close source added.
“Aretha understands how they feel, but she is not going to let anyone get in the way of her happiness. Whether she makes Willie sign a prenup or not remains to be seen.”