Soul icon seriously ill, source says

NEW YORK — Fans and friends, including Mariah Carey and Missy Elliott, offered prayers and well wishes 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 seriously ill. No more 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 that 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, who is considered one of the greatest singers of all time and is known for hits like “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

Franklin, who had battled Aretha Franklin, who has struggled with her health, announced last year that she was retiring except for “some select things.” undisclosed health issues in recent years, 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, New Jersey, and at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April.

Last year, the icon announced her plans to retire, saying she would perform at “some select things.” One of those select 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 a collection of songs including “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Freeway.”

Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the lone surviving original member of the Four Tops, said Monday morning that he and Franklin have been “very close” for decades and that their most recent conversation was about a week ago by phone.

“She was telling me she rides around the city every now and then — she talks about how beautiful it is again,” Fakir said. “We were reminiscing about how blessed we were — only a couple of us are around from that era. We were just kind of reminiscing about the good times we had.”