Sending well wishes. Aretha Franklin “is not doing well,” a source confirmed to Us Weekly on Monday, August 13.
The insider noted that the 76-year-old legendary singer’s “body is breaking down,” and that Franklin “is hanging in there, but recovery is not looking likely.” She is currently “comfortable at home.”
Several members of Franklin’s family have told NBC affiliate WDIV-TV in Detroit that she is “gravely ill” and that she is “asking for your prayers” at this time. Following the report, members of the music community took to Twitter with their messages of support.
“Praying for the Queen of Soul 🙏🙏 #ArethaFranklin,” Mariah Carey wrote. “My love, prayers and warm thoughts are with Aretha Franklin—the Queen of Soul,” Paula Abdul tweeted. “I’m praying for her and her health. Thank you to all her family and friends who are standing by her and loving her through her illness. I’m holding you all in my heart.”
Missy Elliot also shared a lengthy post. “My prayers are with Aretha Franklin & her family during this difficult time 🙏🏾 LOOK BELOW @ what I tweeted at the top of the year,” she wrote. “We MUST CELEBRATE the Living Legends while they are here to see it. So many have given us decades of Timeless music.”
Franklin has been publicly battling health issues since 2010 and addressed death rumors in November 2017 after the hashtag #RipArethaFranklin began trending on social media. “I’m doing well generally, all test have come back good,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in an emailed statement at the time. “I’ve lost a lot of weight due to side effects of medicine, it affects your weight … Thanxxxx for your concern.”
Franklin — who became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 — also previously debunked false stories of pancreatic cancer in 2011.
The 18-time Grammy winner’s iconic career began in January 1961. She revealed in early 2017 that she was officially retiring. “I must tell you, I am retiring this year,” she told Detroit TV station WDIV Local 4 in February. “I feel very, very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from and where it is now. I’ll be pretty much satisfied, but I’m not going to go anywhere and just sit down and do nothing. That wouldn’t be good either.”
