Tough news: The Queen of Soul is gravely ill, according to valid sources
According to trusted entertainment source Showbiz411.com, a blog operated by journalist Roger Friedman, Grammy-award winning and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Aretha Franklin is gravely ill, hospitalized and is now surrounded by family and friends.
The website broke the story and is now circulating the media now. A confirmation from Franklin’s management has not been made, but Friedman, who has connections with Franklin’s team, stated that “the family is asking for prayers and privacy.” Friedman was also in attendance at her 75th birthday show last August, where she performed and toasted the crowd of 10,000 and served a lemon flavored birthday cake.
When asked by Jet about her surgery, she responded with a terse pause. “I am not one to do a lot of talking about my personal health or business,” she said. “Not too much, not too much. There are a lot of people who will talk about anything, as long as there is somebody listening. But I am not one of those people. That’s not Aretha.”
Franklin, 76, has been very guarded about health setbacks since rumors permeated the internet back in 2010. She shot down initial stories that claimed she was battling pancreatic cancer, but told the media just enough. In a story published in USA Today via The Associated Press, she had a “miraculous” recovery” from surgery. In 2013, she was back on the stage but again, in 2017, she canceled shows. At one of her last gigs, a show in Detroit at an outdoor venue, it was reported that she told the audience to “keep me in your prayers.”
Before this bit of troubling news, Franklin was instructed to cancel tour dates indefinitely until further notice. Franklin’s last private performance was made in the fall of 2017 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Her last public concert was held this summer in Philadelphia in which
Franklin did announce a partial retirement from the industry and promised one last album with Clive Davis executive producing it and Stevie Wonder listed as a contributor (see video above).
UPDATE (8/14/18; 12:22 am):
A confirmation on Franklin’s ailing health was made on Monday morning by WDIV Detroit morning news anchor Evrod Cassimy. “I am so saddened to report that the Queen of Soul and my good friend, Aretha Franklin is gravely ill,” he wrote on Twitter. “I spoke with her family members this morning. She is asking for your prayers at this time. I’ll have more details as I’m allowed to release.”
Franklin is now in hospice care at her Detroit home, according to an unnamed source close Franklin and the family.
This is a developing story. We will have more information as soon as it comes in.
