Three newly discovered wills “written” by Aretha Franklin could be as phony as a three-dollar bill, according to investigators — and likely won’t be accepted in court! The stunning twist comes after the Queen of Soul — whose estate is worth $80 million — passed away on Aug. 16, 2018, at the age of 76 without a properly executed will.
“It makes you wonder whether these documents are authentic,” renowned private detective Paul Huebl told The National ENQUIRER.
Two of the scribbled wills — dated 2010 and 2014 — were found inside a locked cabinet in Aretha’s Detroit home after the
estate administrator discovered a key.
Another was inside a notebook stuffed under sofa cushions.
According to Huebl, forensic document examiners have the technology to determine the exact age of the paper. And if they come to the conclusion one of the documents was written in the last 30 days, it “will be thrown in the trash!” he added.
But Aretha’s longtime lawyer Don Wilson told The ENQUIRER that the documents appear to be in the singer’s handwriting. “I think when she was alone, she might have jotted that stuff down and then hid it away so no one in the house could find it,” he explained. “And then didn’t tell anyone that she’d done it!”
The newly discovered documents, which award the lion’s share of Aretha’s estate to her four sons, have been turned over to a probate judge in Michigan. But getting the documents into evidence will be an uphill battle, according to renowned New York estate attorney Joshua Deutsch.
“Handwritten wills are viewed with suspicion by the courts,” he said. “Every state has strict statutory requirements and rules as to how a will has to be written, witnessed and executed in order for it to be admitted into probate.”
