Aretha Franklin’s Sons Skip Paying 'Respect' At Her Grave On 1-Year Death Anniversary
Aug. 28 2019, Updated 4:47 p.m. ET
Aretha Franklin’s sons and relatives have packed courtrooms to brawl over her $80 million fortune — but not one of them bothered to pay “Respect” at her burial site on the one-year anniversary of her death!
That’s the shameless and shockingly sad conclusion of an undercover investigation conducted by RadarOnline.com.
Only a handful of visitors arrived with balloons and flowers at Detroit’s Woodlawn Cemetery to commemorate the legendary Queen of Soul, who passed away on Aug. 16, 2018, at the age of 76.
“I’m just surprised no one from her family showed up on the one-year anniversary of her death,” said one observer at the cemetery’s mausoleum where the “Think” singer’s remains are interred. “I only saw a few loyal fans who loved her music and felt the need to pay their respects.”
The ugly court battle has pitched Aretha’s sons Kecalf Cunningham and Edward Franklin against their brothers Teddy Richards, 55, and Clarence Franklin, 64, and the singer’s niece, Sabrina Owens.
Kecalf, 49, and Edward, 62, are vying to remove Sabrina as the estate administrator, claiming she’s keeping them in the dark about the state of the singer’s posthumous finances.
They also charge Sabrina is handing out jobs to friends and relatives and cutting off their monthly allowance, according to court documents obtained by Radar.
The brothers had agreed to let Sabrina administer the estate until three handwritten wills were discovered in Aretha’s suburban Detroit home on May 3.
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The first named Sabrina and Teddy as executors, while the more recent document reportedly put Kecalf in charge, triggering the current court battle.
Kecalf recently demanded to learn the whereabouts of nearly $1 million worth of Aretha’s uncashed personal checks — along with a complete inventory list of her property and assets, according to the court documents.
His brother Edward has been implicated, but not charged, in a stalled police probe into the theft of $200,000 of Aretha’s royalty checks.
Sabrina recently scored a bombshell victory in the battle over Aretha’s fortune when a judge declared she remain executor until a tangle over the three wills is sorted out.
She failed to visit her aunt’s final resting place because she was out of town on a “preplanned vacation,” a source close to the family told Radar.
Lawyers for Edward, Teddy and Clarence all declined to comment on why they skipped out on visiting Aretha’s burial site.
Instead of dropping by the cemetery, Kecalf made an upbeat appearance on a local TV station.
He discussed the “Pink Cadillac” vocalist and promoted his daughters, Grace and Victorie, who are both up-and-coming singers.
“My mother really loved her family and her grandchildren,” said Kecalf. “She loved her kids too, but she really loved her grandchildren.”