Under Tennessee law, a Conservator is "a person or persons or an entity appointed by the court to exercise the decision-making rights and duties of the person with a disability in one or more areas in which the person lacks capacity as determined and required by orders of the court." Tenn. Code Ann. §34-1-101(4)(B). Similar to a conservator, but not quite the same, is a Guardianship. In Tennessee a Guardian, or coguardian, is defined as "a person or persons appointed by the court to provide partial or full supervision, protection and assistance of the person or property, or both, of a minor." Tenn. Code Ann. §34-1-101(10). It is important to realize the difference between a Conservator and a Guardian. A Conservator protects any person, regardless of age, who is disabled in a way that affects their capacity. A guardianships purpose is to protect a minor child; they automatically do not have capacity based on their age.
Aretha Franklin had no will on her $80 million-dollar estate.
The unfortunate passing of "The Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin, has left her fans grieving, but has left her grieving family to divide her estimated $80 million-dollar estate without the help of an estate plan. Aretha Franklin passed away intestate, in other words, without a will. This means the state in which she is domiciled will determine the distribution of her estate through the state's intestacy laws.
