Aretha Franklin‘s childhood home located in Detroit has officially been sold for $355k after originally being put on the market earlier this year in January.
The Respect singer – who is known as the Queen of Soul – passed away at the age of 76 in August 2018 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
The star was originally born in Tennessee in 1946, but moved to the three-story Detroit home located in the La Salle Gardens neighborhood at five-years-old, and lived in the house until she was 18, per TMZ.
According to the outlet, the hitmaker’s childhood home was listed in May for $379,900 after a sale had fallen through upon its original listing in January.
However, the new owners of the iconic homestead were able to maneuver the price down to around $24,000 less than the asking price.
Now sold! Aretha Franklin’s childhood home located in Detroit has officially been sold for $355k after originally being put on the market earlier in January; seen in 2010
Childhood memories: The star moved to the three-story Detroit home located in the La Salle Gardens neighborhood at five-years-old, and lived in the house until she was 18, per TMZ
Back in 2011, Aretha re-visited the house during an interview with CBS This Morning and reflected on fond memories growing up.
Back in the day, she stated that, ‘it was definitely a show place,’ and added, ‘It was the most beautiful home that I’d ever seen.’
Successful gospel singers, such as Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward, had also stopped by the family home in Franklin’s younger years and Franklin revealed that she would watch the visitors ‘from the top of the stairs.’
She explained she would do so, ‘to see who was coming in and who was going out and peeping through the railing of the staircase, so it was special…very, very special.’
For $355k, the new homeowners will walk into a house that contains six bedrooms, as well as five bathroom – two of which are half baths.
A detached garage, also called a carriage house, has enough room to park four cars inside, and also contains a one bedroom unit directly above.
At the front, Aretha’s previous family home contains a brick pathway that leads up to the front door and shaded porch, which allows plenty of room to add a few comfy chairs.
After entering through the front door, more than one brick fireplace can be found inside as well as hardwood flooring. The backyard also offers plenty of space and open lawn.
Original listing: According to the outlet, the hitmaker’s childhood home was listed in May at $379,900 after a sale had fallen through upon its original listing in January
Past visit: Back in 2011, Aretha re-visited the house during an interview with CBS This Morning and reflected on fond memories growing up
Spacious: For $355k, the new homeowners will walk into a house that contains six bedrooms, as well as five bathroom – two of which are half baths
In the 2021 biopic titled, Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson, a replica of the Detroit home was built to portray her childhood years, per the Detroit Free Press.
According to the outlet, the home had also previously been listed in 2013 for $46,874 and was sold ‘as is’ as a bank-owned property.
Not far from the house was the New Bethel Baptist Church, where her father had been a pastor and where her humble beginnings as one of the world’s greatest singers began.
Throughout the course of her long-lasting career, Aretha released a total of 38 studio albums and 131 singles.
In 1987, she became the first female to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was also inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
Franklin’s last public performance took place in November 2017 during the 25th anniversary gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation – nine months before her passing.
Upon her death, Aretha was survived by four sons: Clarence, 68 and Edward, 65, whom she welcomed in her early teenage years with Edward Jones; Ted White Jr., 59, whom she shared with ex-husband Ted White; and Kecalf, 53, whom she welcomed with Ken Cunningham.
She was also married twice, with her first to Ted White (1961-1969) and the second to Glynn Turman (1978-1984).
Earlier last month, the family of Franklin arrived to a Michigan court to to determine if notes stuffed in a couch will be considered her will. She did not leave a formal, typewritten will, and her family has been divided since her death about which of two potential wills was correct.
In 2010, Franklin signed a document that made her son Ted, 60, the executor of her estate.
Other features: A detached garage, also called a carriage house, has enough room to park four cars inside, and also contains a one bedroom unit directly above
A replica: In the 2021 biopic that followed Aretha’s career titled, Respect, starring Jennifer Hudson, a replica of the Detroit home was built to portray her childhood years, per the Detroit Free Press; seen in 2012 in New York City
But in 2019, a handwritten version from 2014 emerged after it was found stuffed down a couch, in which Ted’s name was crossed out and Kecalf’s name inserted as executor. The doc would allow Kecalf to inherit her home in Bloomfield Hills, an affluent suburb north of Detroit.
Ted and Kecalf went to court to determine who is the executor. Ted, who played guitar during his mother’s performances, told the court on Monday he believes the 2010 document is the only legitimate one.
Shortly after, a jury found that the handwritten document stuffed in her couch is a valid will in her home state of Michigan.
The decision was a win for Franklin’s sons Kecalf and Edward, who believed that the papers found in the couch dated 2014 should override the will from 2010.
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