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Aretha Franklin's 72nd Birthday Celebration

Source: Cindy Ord / Getty

Since the passing of the late, great Aretha Frankin in the summer of 2018, many remembered just how vital a musical artist she was across many eras. However, Franklin’s son is aiming to boycott an upcoming biopic of his mother starring Jennifer Hudson, stating the family was not interviewed or consulted.

Kecalf Cunningham, 49, wrote the following via Facebook:

THE FRANKLIN FAMILY (DOES NOT) SUPPORT THE MOVIE THAT IS IN PRODUCTION!!!!! NOR DO WE SUPPORT THE BOOK “THE QUEEN NEXT DOOR”!!!!! NEITHER ENTITY FELT THE NEED TO CONTACT THE (CORE) FAMILY ABOUT ANYTHING!!!! HOW CAN YOU MAKE A MOVIE ABOUT A PERSON AND NOT TALK TO THE PERSONS SONS OR GRANDCHILDREN ABOUT IMPORTANT INFORMATION? HOW CAN YOU PUT A PERSONS FAMILY (IMAGE) IN A BOOK AND NOT ASK PERMISSION? IF YOU ARE A “REAL” FAN OF MY MOTHERS….PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT THIS. ASK YOURSELF….WOULD YOU WANT THIS DONE TO YOU?

Cunningham added in a side note that his mother did approve of Jennifer Hudson in the starring role but that the film’s producers are allegedly freezing the family out of decision-making processes.

The book that was mentioned in Cunningham’s Facebook post, The Queen Next Door by Linda Solomon.

The late singer’s attorney league counsel of her estate, David Bennett, says that Cunningham’s missives are, “his attempts to become the personal representative of the estate” as reported by the Detroit Free Press.

A niece of Franklin, Sabrina Owens, has been the executor of the estate but there are some impending legal issues after a trio of handwritten wills were discovered within the singer’s couch.

Photo: Getty