Soul icon Aretha Franklin seriously ill
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 because the person was not allowed to publicly talk about the topic, told The Associated Press on 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 said 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 (1967), Natural Woman (1968) and I
Say a Little Prayer (1968). Franklin, who had battled 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 events was a gala for Elton John’s 25th anniversary of his AIDS foundation in November in New York, where Franklin closed the event with a collection of songs including I Say a Little
Prayer and Freeway.
US singer
Musical legacy
Franklin — who is widely known by only her first name, in true diva style — rose from singing gospel in her father’s church to regularly topping rhythm and blues and pop charts in the 1960s and 1970s.
Beyond Respect, her powerful cover of the Otis Redding tune that became her calling card, Franklin had dozens of Top 40 singles, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2005, Franklin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest award for a US civilian — by then-president George W. Bush.