Reports: Memphis born Aretha ‘gravely ill’ in hospital

DETROIT — Aretha Franklin is “gravely ill,” her family told WDIV-TV in Detroit on Monday.

WDIV anchor Evrod Cassimy said in a tweet: “I spoke with her family members this morning. She is asking for your prayers at this time.”

This follows an earlier report from Roger Friedman’s Showbiz 411: “The Queen of Soul, who turned 76 in March, is surrounded by ‘family and people close to her’ in Detroit.”

In March, Franklin canceled two concerts scheduled in New Jersey.

Franklin’s most recent performance was on Nov. 2, 2017, for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York and her final public performance was at Philadelphia’s Mann Center in August 2017.

Franklin announced her plans to retire in 2017, saying she would perform at “some select things.”

A biopic starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin is scheduled to start filming in 2019.

Born in Memphis on March 25, 1942, Franklin moved to Detroit at age 4. She remained loyal to the region, living in the Detroit area for decades, including the Bloomfield Hills house where she moved in the late 1980s.

“My roots are there. The church is there. My family is there,” she told the Free Press in 2011. “I like the camaraderie in Detroit, how we’ll rally behind something that’s really worthy and come to each other’s assistance.”

Pop music writer Brian McCollum contributed to this story. Contact Amy Huschka at ahuschka@freepress.com or follow on Twitter at @aetmanshuschka.