Franklin complained about missing money before death

AUTHORITIES IN SUBURBAN Detroit are investigating whether someone cheated singer Aretha Franklin by cashing a $178,000 cheque before her death last August.

Chief assistant prosecutor Paul Walton says Franklin filed a complaint with Bloomfield Township police in June about a missing cheque. She died weeks later at age 76.

Walton told The Detroit News that Franklin’s death has affected the investigation. He says it’s been “difficult to determine” if she gave the check to someone who actually had permission to cash it. He says police have talked to the person who cashed the cheque. Walton says the cheque could become a separate issue for lawyers, family members and creditors in Franklin’s estate in Oakland County court. JOHN MAYER IS LAUNCHING a foundation focused on improving the health of veterans through scientific research.

The singer on Friday announced The Heart and Armor Foundation, which plans to focus on veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and meeting the emerging needs of women veterans. Though he publicly announced the foundation on Friday, Mayer has been working on the organisation since 2012 alongside veterans, scientists and clinicians.

“We’re going to the public with things like published research papers and having raised enough money to really build some pilot programmes. We have some really great data and ... we want it to be working first so that a lot of the questions were answered before we brought things to people by way of awareness,” Mayer said.