Aretha Franklin Net Worth| Her Personal Life| Career| Awards and Many More!

By David D. Ramey On Mar 3, 2022

Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was a singer, composer, and pianist from the United States. Known as the “Queen of Soul,” she was twice ranked ninth on Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.” Franklin is one of the world’s best-selling musicians, having sold over 75 million records worldwide.

Franklin began her career as a child, singing gospel at her father’s church, New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. She began her musical career as a recording artist for Columbia Records at the age of 18. While Franklin’s career did not immediately take off, she achieved critical acclaim and financial success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966.

Franklin’s commercial successes include “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You”, “Respect”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, “Chain of Fools”, “Think”, and “I Say a Little Prayer”. Franklin garnered various accolades during the course of her career. The National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom were both presented to her. In 1987, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as the first female artist.

Additionally, in 2005, she was admitted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and in 2012, she was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Franklin was voted number one on Rolling Stone’s 2010 edition of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” In 2019, the singer received a posthumous special commendation from the Pulitzer Prize jury for her “indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades.”

What was Aretha Franklin’s Net Worth?

Aretha Franklin was a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and musician from the United States of America. She was dubbed the “Queen of Soul.” Aretha Franklin had an estimated net worth of $80 million at the time of her 2018 death. This figure reflects the market value of her likeness, song repertoire, and royalty stream.

Aretha Franklin died without a will, despite having an estimated net worth of $80 million. Aretha Franklin died of severe pancreatic cancer on August 16 in Detroit, Michigan. According to Michigan state law, her assets will be distributed equally among her four children.

“It’s all the more startling given that she has a special needs son named Clarence who will require financial and other sorts of assistance for the remainder of his life,” TMZ reports. “Aretha had been ill for several years but did not appear to anticipate the end coming…or perhaps a will was not a concern.”

Aretha Franklin’s estate continues to be a source of contention!

Aretha Franklin’s fortune is estimated to be worth between $18 million and $80 million, including real estate, automobiles, furs, and jewellery (via The Detroit News). According to David Bennett, the singer’s longtime attorney, she owed $8 million in taxes at the time of her death.

Franklin died of pancreatic cancer on August 16, 2018, at the age of 76. Her family was unable to locate her will. As a result, her four boys were expected to inherit an equal part of the inheritance. Sabrina Owens, Franklin’s niece, was chosen executor of the estate (via The New York Times).

Then, in an unexpected turn of events, three unofficial handwritten documents dating from 2010 to 2014 were discovered at Franklin’s residence in 2019. (via The New York Times). These documents, one of which was purportedly discovered beneath some couch cushions, allegedly indicated her wishes on the distribution of her assets.

According to The Times, these newly discovered documents, as well as their veracity, are being vehemently contested. Now, as The Guardian reports, a fourth will, this one apparently from 2018, has been uncovered, further complicating matters. A trial scheduled for August 2021 will evaluate the legitimacy of the numerous documents and who will ultimately govern the estate and its assets.

Aretha Franklin’s Career

Franklin began singing at a young age at her father’s church, and when she was twelve years old, he began managing her. He took her on his “gospel caravan” trips, where she sang in various churches along the way, and he also assisted her in securing her first recording contract with J.V.B. Records.

Her first song with J.V.B. Records, “Never Grow Old,” was issued in 1956, followed by several more singles and the album “Spirituals” the following year (1956). She continued to sing and perform gospel music and spent her summers in Chicago, where she was a regular on the gospel circuit.

When she was sixteen years old, she even toured with Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. (she would later go on to sing at his funeral in 1968). Franklin, however, opted to pursue a career in pop music when she reached eighteen.

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