Aretha Franklin, the ‘Queen of Soul,’ is gravely ill, following hospitalization on Sunday. Franklin, 76, was surrounded by friends and family and have requested prayers and privacy for their family.
The soul singer has been reported to be in quickly failing health for years and appeared frail in recent photos. But she has kept her struggles private.
In February of 2017, Franklin announced that she would stop touring, but she continued to book concerts. Earlier this year, she cancelled a pair of performances, including at the New Orleans Jazz Fest.
Franklin’s career spans six decades. She got her start singing gospel music in a Detroit Church where her father was the minister. In 1960, she signed with her first major record label. By 1968, Franklin was an established soul chart-topper with hits such as “Respect,” “Chain Of Fools,” and “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.”
Franklin performed a moving rendition of “Precious Lord Take My Hand” at the Memorial Service of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1994, at age 52, she became the youngest at that time to receive a Kennedy Center Honor. Franklin has 44 Grammy nominations and 18 wins. President George W. Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
Franklin’s last album, “A Brand New Me,” released in 2017, remixed her vintage vocals with newly recorded arrangements. Franklin’s last known performance was at a private gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation last November.
Please send up prayers for Aretha Franklin and her family.
Sending you prayerful blessings from Sterrett, Alabama!
Charity
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