Legendary singer, Aretha Franklin succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 76 on August 16, 2018, and she was accorded funeral rites usually reserved for heads of state. But the diva who famously demanded respect, sadly, died without a will.

Her estate is subject to probate, and a long-drawn out public legal proceeding to hear claims by her four children and other relatives — an undignified end for music royalty.

While Ms. Franklin was a genius by most measures and her music legacy lives on, she appears to have had a blind spot when it came to money and, perhaps, mortality. A minister's daughter, the Queen of Soul, was known to demand payment in cash before performing live and keep the cash near her onstage.