Admirers share well-wishes for ill ‘Queen of Soul’
Fans and friends, including Mariah Carey and Missy Elliott, offered prayers and wellwishes to “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, who is seriously ill.
A person close to Franklin, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Monday that the singer is gravely sick in her home city of Detroit. No other details were provided.
Carey, who considers Franklin one of her biggest influences, wrote on Twitter that she is “praying for the Queen of Soul.” Missy Elliott said the public has to celebrate iconic artists before they die. “So many (of them) have given us decades of Timeless music,” the rapper wrote on Twitter.
Mark Frost, Andy Cohen and Ciara also posted about Franklin, a performer who is admired as one of the greatest singers and is known for hits like “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”
Franklin canceled planned concerts earlier this year after she was ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest up. She was originally scheduled to perform on her 76th birthday in March in Newark, N.J., and at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April.
Last year, Franklin announced her plans to retire, saying she would perform at “some select things.” One of those events was a gala for Elton John’s 25th anniversary of his AIDS foundation in November in New York City, where Franklin closed the event with songs including “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Freeway of Love.”
Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the lone surviving original member of the Four Tops, said he and Franklin have been close for decades and their most recent conversation was about a week ago by phone. Fakir said they talked after Franklin had stopped by his Detroit house when he wasn’t there.
“She was telling me she rides around the city every now and then — she talks about how beautiful it is again,” Fakir said.
Fakir, who calls Franklin “baby sis” because he’s older than she is by six years, said despite her health troubles “she was talking about the future.”