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Who were Aretha Franklin's husbands? A look at singer's troubled relationships with Ted White and Glynn Turman

Aretha Franklin married twice and had four children but it was her third relationship with Willie Wilkerson that seemed to hit the right note before it too fell apart
PUBLISHED MAR 21, 2021
Aretha Franklin performs onstage at the New York Fall Gala at the Cathedral of St John the Divine on November 7, 2017, in New York City (Getty Images)
Aretha Franklin performs onstage at the New York Fall Gala at the Cathedral of St John the Divine on November 7, 2017, in New York City (Getty Images)

Aretha Franklin may have known all about harmony in her professional life, but sadly her personal life saw more than its fair share of discord. With 'Genius: Aretha' set to hit screens, we see how Aretha's immense success left the men in her company feeling threatened. Unfortunately, physical violence was not something Aretha was a stranger to in her romantic relationships. It is sadly ironic that this was the woman who gave us the song 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T'.

Aretha Franklin was married twice and had four children. Here are all the details on her husbands and the fathers of her children.

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Aretha Franklin performs at Radio City Music Hall on February 18, 2012, in New York City (Getty Images)

Aretha's first husband was Theodore "Ted" White who she married at 19 despite the fact that her father was against the marriage. Aretha was already a mother-of-two before she married Ted. However, it turned out to be an ill-fated romance.

It was widely believed that Ted, who was also Aretha's manager, was physically abusive with the singer. Aretha had one son with Ted, Ted Jr in 1964. Aretha and Ted co-wrote some hit songs, but ultimately professional success couldn't make up for the personal discord between the two and they divorced in 1969. Aretha's brother Cecil then stepped in as her manager, a post he maintained till his death.

Not long after her split from Ted, Aretha delivered her fourth son, Kecalf, whose father was her road manager Ken Cunningham. Ten years later, Aretha wed her second husband, actor Glynn Turman and became the stepmother to Turman's three children from a previous marriage. Glynn was a stage, TV and film actor known for playing Lew in 'Peyton Place'. However, the marriage lasted only for a few years and they divorced in 1984.

Glynn Turman was Aretha Franklin's second husband (Getty Images)

While it seemed that the third time could have been the charm for Aretha when she announced her engagement to longtime companion Willie Wilkerson, eventually the 2012 engagement was called off because "things were moving too fast".

While the public may know Wilkerson because of his relationship with Aretha, he was an accomplished man in his own right. He was a Vietnam War veteran with the Marines and when he returned, he spent 20 years as a fire engine operator with the Detroit Fire Department.

Willie Wilkerson and Aretha Franklin (Getty Images)

While it's not clear what their romantic status was after calling off their engagement, Aretha and Wilkerson continued to step out together many times even post their engagement being called off. While Aretha passed away in 2018 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, Wilkerson tragically passed away from Covid-19 in April 2020. You can learn more about Aretha Franklin's complicated personal life in 'Genius: Aretha' on Sunday, March 21, 9/8c. Watch the trailer below:



 

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