Meet Teddy Richards - The Late Aretha Franklin's Son

Publish date: 2024-11-01

Teddy Richards is the son of the late American popular singer, Aretha Franklin and her ex-husband Ted White, an American businessman and music manager. Aretha Franklin’s son is a 59 year-old American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer who was born in February 1964.

Although Richards primarily came to fame as the son of an American celebrity singer, he has built a sustainable career for himself in the music scene, following in his mother’s footsteps. He is a multitalented entertainer; singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and international recording artist. Under the name Teddy Richards, he played guitar for his mother before becoming a singer and songwriter.

Summary of Teddy Richards’ Bio

How Old is Teddy Richards, the Late Aretha Franklin’s Son?

Teddy Richards was born in February 1964 in Detroit, in the United States of America, and is currently 53 years old. He is an American national and belongs to the African-American ethnic group. Teddy is the only child of his parents and the third child of his mother. He has three half-siblings named Clarence Franklin, Edward Derone Franklin, and Kecalf Edward Derone Franklin, all of whom have different fathers.

While nothing is known about her first child Clarence’s father, Franklin had her second child Edward with a man named Jordan, and her last child Kecalf with her road manager, Ken Cunningham.

Teddy spent some part of his childhood in Detroit but was mostly raised by his father’s family in Oak Park, Michigan, after his parents got divorced. He spent his holidays and weekends with his mother in Detroit. After his high school education, Teddy Richards enrolled at Michigan State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in an undisclosed course.

Who is Teddy Richards’ Father?

Teddy Richards’ father is Ted White, whose full name is Theodore Richard White. His father, Ted White, was a businessman, songwriter, music manager, and producer. He was born on 25th March 1931 and died on 26th October 2020.

White worked as his wife Aretha’s manager for many years and cowrote some songs for her, including Wonder (Where You Are Tonight), Lee Cross, Dr. Feelgood, and Think. Before he took over the job of managing his wife’s music career, White was a sandlot promoter and a dabbler in Detroit real estate.

On the other hand, Teddy’s mother, Aretha Franklin, was one of the best-selling artists of her time. She received numerous honors, accolades, and awards throughout her career and was the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even after her death, her legacy has lived on via her music and outstanding accomplishments. She died at the age of 76 on 16th August 2018.

Teddy Richard’s Parents Were Married For Eight Years

Teddy Richard’s parents met in early 1961 and married after six months in the same year. They met through a friend Della Reese in a club in Detroit. The couple stayed married for only eight years, separated in 1968, and got divorced in 1969. To date, it is not known what led to the crash of their marriage, as none of them made any revelation in that regard before their deaths.

However, according to some sources, their marriage broke down as a result of domestic abuse. While Ted White never married again till his death, Franklin got remarried to actor Glynn Turman, in April 1978. They, however, got divorced in 1984. They did not have any children together until her death.

Aretha Franklin’s Son is a Multitalented Entertainer

Teddy Richards has followed in his mother’s footsteps as a singer. He juggles a career as a frontman, singer, songwriter, and guitarist for his mother’s band. Growing up with his music star mother, Richards developed an interest and passion in everything related to music.

He started by writing songs, and in 1994, he gave a copy of his 6-song cassette demo to Andrew Farriss, an Australian rock musician and multi-instrumentalist.

Farriss was very impressed with his writing and invited him to collaborate. They wrote and recorded two songs, after which they negotiated a music deal. The duo worked exceptionally well together and ended up collaborating on 11 hit tracks. Richards’ collaboration with Farriss gave him an opportunity to be part of the INXS ELEGANTLY WASTED tour.

He went on to write and cowrite songs with other notable songwriters like Oliver Leiber and Gary Clark. Teddy has served as an opening act for The Verve Pipe, Seal, Fishbone, and Chic both nationally and internationally. In 2006, he signed with Germany’s Skip Records and released his CD, Gravity. He followed this up with European tours.

Teddy Richards has since remained relevant in the music industry, expanding his creativity and collaborating with many other well-established musicians and brands, such as The Verve Pipe, Lenny Kravitz, and Natalie Cole. He has performed in some shows like MSNBC’s Mitch Album, Montreux Jazz Festival, and Food Network’s Food Nation with Bobby Flay.

Richards served as his mother, Aretha Franklin’s guitarist, for 25 years. He followed her on many of her tours which certainly exposed him to partnering with other A-list artists. So far, he has three albums under his name, which include songs like Keep Our Love Alive, Love Will Be There, In Your Garden, Panic in Detroit, and others. In addition, Richards is also an actor, he starred in Saturday Night Live and Blues Brothers 2000.

Teddy Richards is Married with Children

Teddy Richards is married to his wife, Lee White, and together they have a daughter known as Jj. Nothing much is known about Teddy’s wife and family life in general. The multitalented entertainer keeps a low profile when it comes to his personal life. We also are not certain if Jj is the only child he has.

Meanwhile, Teddy has managed to maintain a noncontroversial and scandal-free profile. He concentrates on his music career and does not create a buzz in the media. Richards is not active on Instagram but has an account on Twitter with about 400 followers. He also has a self-titled Youtube channel where he promotes his music.

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