Aretha Franklin reportedly passed away without leaving a will

The news is very surprising, considering that she reportedly left behind a son who was financially dependent on her and that she was aware of her illness for several years.

Almost a week after the death of legendary singer Aretha Franklin at 76 due to pancreatic cancer, which left the world of music mourning, it was revealed that "The Queen of Soul" did not leave a will, according to TMZ.

Despite the fact that Franklin battled her illness for a long time since her diagnosis in 2016, it seems that making a will was not among her priorities, even though her oldest son, Clarence is not able to support himself.

As Michigan law dictates for these cases, her estimated net worth of $80 million will be divided into equal parts for the late star’s four children. Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa

Franklin passed away on August 16 at her Detroit home, surrounded by her family, and she was survived by her sons Clarence, 63, Edward, 61, Ted, 54, and Kecalf, 48.

Her niece Sabrina Owens expects to be appointed a representative of the artist’s estate at court.

Attorney Don Wilson represented Franklin for 28 years, and he said he tried to convince her to leave this matter in order to avoid further complications in the event of her death, but she never listened to him.

"I was after her for a number of years to do a trust. It would have expedited things and kept them out of probate, and kept things private."

-Don Wilson, Detroit Free Press, August 21, 2018.

Wilson is also involved in the litigation regarding late musician Ike Turner, an excruciating process that has been going for 11 years, and he shared his concern over a possible conflict emerging from the absence of a will by Franklin.

“I just hope [Franklin’s estate] doesn’t end up getting so hotly contested. Any time they don’t leave a trust or will, there always ends up being a fight,” Wilson said.

The “Respect” singer battled cancer in secret for the last eight years of her life, and the news of her illness only broke a couple days before her passing, with many news outlet reporting that Franklin was thought to be living her final days.

Despite her condition, she gave her last performance not long before, on November 2017, when she appeared at the Elton John AIDS Foundation gala.

On August 13, it surfaced that doctors had done all they could and they had warned her close relatives that her death was imminent. Her friends and family accompanied the artist at her bedside until the last breath.