Aretha Franklin | House Tour | IN MEMORY | $1.2 Million Luxury Detroit Mansion & More

Aretha Franklin didn't only capture audiences' attention with her amazing voice and timeless music, her talents extended to her eye for properties as we can see in her real estate portfolio. The late Queen of Soul owned a few magnificent estates over her lifetime, each with their own character. Aretha's residences were more than mere investments, they were the embodiment of her passion for creating spaces that inspire and uplift. Her properties served as havens of creativity in providing a getaway from the world. Beyond the glittering stages and recording studios, Aretha's real estate endeavors allowed her to shape her surroundings, and she also chose to continue calling her native Detroit, Michigan home, no matter where her career took her. At the end of 2022, one of Aretha's homes popped back on the market for around $1 million which was dubbed her Rose Estate, and in 2019 one of her other former homes was listed, this one located in the Bloomfield Hills area. Aretha Franklin was a singer, songwriter, actress, civil rights activist, and more who passed away at age 76 in 2018. She grew up singing gospel music in a Detroit church where her father was pastor, and signed her first recording contract at age 18. Despite this, Aretha didn't even reach her mega success until she switched to Atlantic Records in the late 60s. At the end of the 1960s, she was known as the Queen of Soul, and as one of the best selling music artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records. Aretha's career will outlive her for decades and centuries to come, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the singer left behind a substantial estate when she passed. It's assumed she was worth anywhere between 18 to 80 million dollars, but unfortunately she died without a will, leaving her estate in question. In 2019, one of Aretha's longtime homes came up on the market for $800,000, and then after being taken off the market, it returned with a respectable price increase to $1.2 million. Located in the suburb of Bloomfield Hills, the estate was just outside of Aretha's native Detroit, Michigan, about a 30-minute drive from downtown. The mini-mansion is situated in the hills of Lone Pine Gated Community, and Bloomfield Hills is quite the upscale neighborhood. Aretha's colonial-style home boasted 4,148 square feet of space with five beds and seven baths throughout. The music legend bought the property in 1997, and when the home first popped up on the market, it hadn't been lived in for quite a long while, according to agents. When it came back up for sale at the higher price, it offered a new look and was fixed up with a tasteful remodel. The circular driveway leads you to the home's courtyard entrance, and the lot overlooks a community pool, two beautiful ponds, which we can see in aerial views. Inside, there's an elegant two-story entry hall with marble floors and a crystal chandelier, which opens up to the two-level great room. Here, there was a granite fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows, a web bar, and, at the time, Aretha's Red Grand Piano, which would later be auctioned off. While the home was upgraded and modernized, it maintained a classic feel, along with much of the original features from when Aretha lived there. Queen of Soul also loved to cook, and while the gourmet kitchen was fresh and polished with white cabinets, black granite counters, and an oversized island, they were able to keep Aretha's original appliances. There was also a breakfast nook, and a sub-zero fridge was added, according to listing materials. Even the stylist who staged this home said whoever is so lucky to get this space will be cooking in the Queen of Soul's kitchen. The formal dining room had a stunning, custom chandelier overhead that Aretha owned and loved, which used to be in one of her other residences, and was brought here to add more of her style. Also on this level of the home, there was a cozy library with wood accents and the stately master retreat. Aretha's master bedroom featured the original floors and attached marble bath, as well as a private deck and two spacious walk-in closets. Another special detail is the floral shower surround in the master bath that was custom made for Aretha. It's the same shower that this queen used to sing in. There's an upper level of the estate that has a bridge, as well as two large bedrooms with en-suites. Downstairs, there's a finished walk-out lower floor with plenty of space to entertain. This level of the home boasts a family room with fireplace, kitchenette, second master guest suite with attached bath and sauna, another guest room, and an office. Aretha's former property backs onto the community amenities, which include a pool, tennis court, clubhouse, stunning ponds, and even a walking trail. The home itself has elevated decks as well to soak up the views. Next, we can take a look at Aretha Franklin's other former home. This property was sprawling and impressive, but unfortunately, it was in a state of disrepair at the time of sale, so it went for the low price of $300K. It was purchased by a real estate developer, Anthony O'Callum, who decided to work on renovating the place, rent it out for an event, and then sell it. At least, that's what his plan was. A year later in 2019, the house popped back on the market, this time for $600,000. Dubbed the Queen of Soul's Rose Estate, it was in rough shape the first time it was sold, and the Tudor mansion needed new heating and electrical systems, as well as roof repairs. A circular driveway leads to the front of the mansion, which sits on a private road with 24-hour security across from Detroit's Palmer Woods Historic District. Aretha purchased the five-bedroom, four-bath house with an attached three-car garage back in 1994. The singer lived here when she recorded her Grammy-nominated album, A Rose is Still a Rose. The first buyer, Callum, said he planned extensive kitchen and master bath renovations, but it was unclear how much work had actually been carried out on the home. Built in 1927, Aretha's other former estate was located on the lavish Detroit Golf Club, backing up onto the 7th hole. Callum, at the time of purchase, said that he was an Aretha fan, and when she passed, it hit him hard, especially since his late mother used to sing to the singer all the time. The house had been vacant for some time, and he estimated renovations would cost around $350K. He said, I can see this as an opportunity to not only revitalize an iconic property in the city I love, but knowing how proud my mom would be if she were still here makes this even more amazing. While we don't know the full list of renovations that ended up being done, we can hope that they preserved some of Aretha's touches in the mansion. Her former Detroit Golf Club estate spanned 6,200 square feet inside and was full of potential. While it was in disrepair, the home still kept many of its stately features, like wooden mantles, interior French doors, leaded glass windows, and a slate roof. There are some really nice features of the property that were classic, like the beams and the archways inside, as well as the soaring ceilings. The centerpiece and main attraction, though, of Aretha's former home seems to be the Great Room, with 30-foot arched ceilings, which spans 32 by 17 feet, and boasts a rose-colored crystal chandelier. In fact, Aretha's love for roses shows in this entire mansion, from the wallpaper, to the fixtures, and even the carpet, where we see this large imprinted rose in the carpet of the Great Room. There's an outdated kitchen, but it still had plenty of space should it be upgraded, and also a beautiful sunroom, which listing materials called the Solaria. This space had stone arched walls and overlooked both the terrace and golf course outside. The first level of Aretha's home is complete with a formal dining room, family room, library, and breakfast nook attached to the kitchen. The central staircase leads up to a private master retreat. On the north side of the mansion that features a bedroom, sprawling master bath, dressing room, and elsewhere there's two separate bedrooms that share a bathroom. At the time this home was listed, you could still see the Queen of Soul's unique style throughout, and a couple of her artifacts were present. These include her quilted pink bed in the master bedroom, and a lot of that rose wallpaper. There's even a bathroom with roses painted all over. On the south side of the mansion, two more sprawling bedrooms connect with a bathroom that had multicolored tiles covering the entire space from the walls to the floor, while another bathroom boasted a red tub and fireplace. Most recently, this home was seen back on the market in December 2022, first being listed at $1.2 million, and then dropping the price to $975,000. Since we've looked at a couple of the legendary Aretha Franklin's one-time homes in Detroit, that'll bring today's house tour to a close, but before we go, answer this question for me. Would you stay as dedicated to your roots as Aretha did with her hometown of Detroit? Let me know in the comments below. If you choose to move somewhere completely different. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow me on Instagram to chat. I'm Cara the Vampire Slayer, and if you'd like to check out another tour before you go, then stay tuned, because next, we'll look at the homes of Ray Charles. Bye! In 2019, a trophy property once owned by the late Ray Charles, often called the Father of Soul, came up for sale at about $10.7 million. This single-level home likely looked a little bit different when Ray lived here, and in recent years, it's been completely remodeled into a contemporary-style pad. While the legendary musician passed away in 2004, he had experienced quite the success, and came a long way from his small childhood home in Greenville, Florida. Today, we'll check out some of his former properties, we even found the listings. In these videos we don't reveal any addresses, and even though I've done a house tour of my own place, please do not show up at any private residences because it's not safe for anyone. Ray Charles Robinson was a singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer who passed away in 2004, but his legacy and music lives on. He was often referred to as the genius as well as the father of soul, pioneering the genre during the 1950s by combining blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel styles while he was recording music for Atlantic. Later, when he was signed to ABC Records, Ray became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company. While Ray was blinded during childhood at the age of 7 due to glaucoma, this never stopped or slowed him down in the slightest. In fact, he said this himself. Ray told the New York Times I was going to do what I was going to do anyway. I played music since I was 3, I could see then. I lost my sight when I was 7, so blindness didn't have anything to do with it. It didn't give me anything, and it didn't take nothing. He had his keyboards marked with Braille and never once let his disability limit him. Charles' 1960 hit song Georgia On My Mind was the first of his top 3 career number one hits on the charts, and went on to release hit albums as well. For his contributions to music, Ray received multiple awards and accolades, including a National Medal of Arts, and won 17 Grammys, including 5 after his passing in 2004. At the time of his passing, Ray's estimated net worth was said to be $75 million. He reportedly left most of his money and real estate to the Ray Charles Foundation, his charity that supports the vision and hearing impaired. Another chunk of his estate went to $500,000 trust funds he left for each of his 12 children. Hey guys, it's Kara the Vampire Slayer and I'm bringing you another house tour here on Famous Entertainment. Be sure to hit that subscribe button and ring that bell, we post a new video daily. Today we're going to take a look at the Beverly Hills mansion Ray Charles called home before he passed away, as well as a few of his other properties prior to this. If you liked this video, we've also done house tours on other music legends such as Aretha Franklin and Prince, which we'll link to at the end. As usual, don't forget to follow me on Instagram to chat, and now, let's get into this video. First we'll take a look at the childhood home where Ray grew up, and it's a far cry from how he was living once he found success. His boyhood home can be found in Northern Florida in a small town called Greenville, and it's still maintained in an excellent condition. Ray lived in this little house since he was an infant with his mother until she passed away while he was still a kid. The home was scheduled to be demolished in 2006, but was saved by the Greenville mayor, who at the time was actually a childhood friend of Ray's, and then it was restored in 2009. Now the home is a historic landmark for the town, and a tourist attraction. A fence surrounds the property, and now there's a historical marker out front. Ray's childhood house was likely built during the 1920s, and it had no electricity or plumbing. There was a wood-burning stove, a fireplace, and a hand pump next to the house that supplied them with well water. When Ray was 7, he was sent away to a school for the deaf and blind, but returned to visit his mother for many years here until she passed away when he was only 15. Now while we don't have much to go on for this next home, Ray used to live in this house in Leimert Park with his family back in the 1960s. This home was also shown in the film Ray, the biopic from 2005. There are no interior photos available of this house, but from listing materials, we know the house spanned 2,644 square feet of space with 4 beds and 3 baths. It's also estimated to be worth about 1.2 million dollars in current times. Leimert Park is a neighborhood located in South Los Angeles, which was developed in the 1920s as a residential community, and is full of Spanish colonial revival houses and tree-lined streets. Another one of Ray's former homes, which they showed in the Hollywood movie, was this mansion-sized abode he and his family upgraded to located in the View Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. This home was located just northeast of the Los Angeles airport, and production managed to film the house just before the current owners were carrying out renovations. View Park Windsor Hills is a neighborhood in South Los Angeles near LAX. It's said that Ray had this home built in 1956 when he came to California from Florida, and more recently it was on the market for about 1 million dollars. Ray's former mansion spans over 8,400 square feet of space with 6 beds and 7 baths, and sat on nearly an acre of land. Outside, the original swimming pool still graces the property, where an outline of one of Ray's pianos is etched in the bottom of the pool. The estate also boasts a tennis court and a view from downtown LA to the South Bay. Looking at the exterior, it seems the original style of the home still remains from when Ray was living here with his family, but the interiors have been upgraded since. Finally in 2019, a trophy property that Ray used to call home came up on the market for 10.5 million dollars. Located in Beverly Hills, this single level home has been completely remodeled in recent years, taking on a super modern and contemporary look. The whitewashed exterior boasts a flat roof, and inside there's 3,600 square feet of space. Interiors are made up of open and sprawling living spaces with polished concrete floors and plenty of floor to ceiling windows. Most living areas offer sliding glass doors that open out to the swimming pool and patio. The entertainer's backyard has a vast terrace that connects to the swimming pool and spa, and all of the furniture, furnishings, and electronics were included with the sale of the property. Other features of this house included a sleek center island kitchen, sitting area with fireplace and mounted TV, and formal dining area. Views from the property overlook the surrounding canyons as well as the downtown skyline. The views are also present in the large master suite which is only one of three bedrooms, and there are also 4.5 baths throughout. Alright, so now we've taken a look at the homes of Ray Charles, aka the father of Seoul, and we can see how far he'd come from his quaint childhood home in Greenville, Florida. His main mansion was the one he built in the 1950s in the View Park neighborhood, and he had left that property to his family according to reports. It's just a shame we couldn't see more of the interiors. After seeing Ray's properties over the years, what did you guys think? I know I haven't done this in a while, but I've been reading all your comments on our house tours lately, and I'm going to be shouting you guys out again. I love sharing what you guys have to say about these gorgeous celebrity homes. These are from our recent Aretha Franklin house tour. Janice Hudson said Nice beautiful home. She definitely worked so hard to earn something like that. It's just a blessing. Her soul is resting. Thank the lord. She's free. R.I.P. Beautiful Queen I agree that Aretha's homes were beautiful, and the hard work definitely paid off. Then Gypsy Fire wrote Wow she lived like a queen. Well deserved. And finally, Shed said The classic look is exquisite. Now the pink look is a personal preference understandable. It would have to go overall if I was a buyer. But some accents I really like. The classic red tub and the entryway. I too thought there were some things in Aretha's former home that would need to be upgraded and modernized, but there were also some eccentric features I would definitely keep. I love the classic look of her house. If you want me to shout out your comment next, be sure to drop one below and tell me what you thought about the homes of Ray Charles. If you haven't, go subscribe to my personal channel because I would love to get to know all of you better. Or I will link you my latest video for you to check out. Alright, alright, alright. Oh my gosh. I'm going to start talking about David Berkowitz. So, like I said, David Berkowitz. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram and I will see you guys all in the next video. Bye!