Aretha Franklin died in 2018 with an estate of about $18 million and no known will. 8 months later, her family found 3. She lost her mother at 10. She had her first child at 12. By 1967 she was the Queen of Soul, and her fee went from $750 a show to tens of thousands. After her father was shot in 1979, she paid 85% of his round-the-clock care, which cost almost $2,500 a week. She trusted almost nobody with her money. Before every show she demanded $25,000 in cash and stuffed it in her purse. When the gig was over, she picked up the purse and the audience knew it was done. Her staff were paid off the books, with no records and no taxes deducted. At her death she had 18 Grammys, $1 million in fur coats and a $1.6 million bank account. She also owed the IRS an estimated $6.3 million to $8 million. One will was found in a couch cushion. Within a year, legal fees hit $600,000. In 2023 a jury ruled that the couch will, from 2014, was valid. She kept her money in a purse. She kept her will in a couch.