She died aged 76 in August 2018 from pancreatic cancer, leaving four sons. What do we know about her firstborn, Clarence?

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Who is Aretha Franklin’s first child Clarence?

Aretha Franklin had four children.

Her first son Clarence was born on January 28, 1955.

He was named after her father – American Baptist minister and civil rights activist Clarence LaVaughn Franklin.

He took his mother’s second name and not the name of his father.

How old was Aretha Franklin when she got pregnant?

Aretha was just 12 when she fell pregnant with her first child.

According to biographer David Ritz, the father of her oldest son Clarence was Donald Burke, whom Franklin knew from school.

But it was later reported in one of her handwritten wills, discovered in 2019, that Clarence’s father was Edward Jordan – with whom she had a son, Edward, in 1957.

Aretha had two more sons, Ted Jr with her first husband Theodore “Ted” White, and Kecalf, with her tour manager Ken Cunningham.

Where is Clarence now?

Franklin’s sons have largely kept their family matters private.

But all four of her children appear to have followed in her musical footsteps in some capacity.

Little is known about first-born Clarence but he reportedly had the least musical interest of her children.

He is believed to have written a number of songs, including some recorded by his mother. 

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It was revealed in her handwritten wills that Franklin had made “special provisions” for Clarence.

He has undisclosed special needs and his current occupation and exact whereabouts are unknown.

It was believed at the time of her death that Aretha had not left a will, but three handwritten notes were later discovered.

In 2023, a judge awarded Aretha’s sons a home valued at $1.1 million in 2018. Kecalf will get that property, according to AP.

Another home owned by the late singer was valued at over a million dollars and will likely be sold and divided among the four brothers.