Aretha Franklin’s funeral isn’t until Friday, August 31, but already, precious pieces of her reportedly $80 million dollar estate, which Franklin left without a will, are in demand.
According to CBS, PETA sent a letter to Franklin’s niece, Sabrina Garrett Owens, asking the estate to donate the Queen’s collection of furs to PETA’s fur donation program, which recycles them for use by people in need of warmth in refugee camps and homeless shelters, and turns them into bedding for orphaned wildlife.
The letter read as follows:
Dear Sabrina,
We’re so sorry for the loss of your aunt. The world has lost an amazing talent, and we’re grateful that her music will live on.
Aretha will always be remembered for all that she did to help empower African-American people, especially women, in her lifetime. Might we now call on her estate to help end the cruel era of wearing animal fur by donating her fur coats to PETA, where they’ll go on to offer warmth and comfort to those who need it the most? In the past, we’ve given donated fur coats—some coming from other wonderful women including Anjelica Huston, Mariah Carey, and Mary Tyler Moore—to homeless shelters in the U.S. (including in Detroit) and to displaced refugees in Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Syria.
Designers, brands, and stores are dropping fur as quickly as consumers are ditching it. As faux fur and other cruelty-free, vegan materials take over, real animal fur can be put to good use, and this generous donation would secure Aretha forever as an “Angel” for animals.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Please let us know if there’s anything that we can do to help you and your family through this difficult time.
Best regards,
Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman, PETA
Some on social media are not happy with PETA saying that they didn’t give the family space to grieve.
https://twitter.com/RithaSims/status/1033360589463212037
Let us know what you think in the comments.
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