Aretha Franklin is understood to be gravely ill and surrounded by her family in hospital.
The 76-year-old singing legends health has been specu…
And on Sunday, veteran entertainment reporter Roger Friedman wrote on his Showbiz 411 column: Aretha is surrounded by family and people close to her. She will be so missed as a mother, sister, friend, cousin.
But her legacy is larger than life. Its not just that Rolling Stone called her the number 1 singer of all time, or that she is the Queen of Soul. Long live the Queen.
Here, we take a look at some of A…
Aretha Franklin's best hits
Respect, 1967
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, 1968
I Say A Littler Prayer, 1968
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me), with George Michael, 1986
Think, 1968
Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves – with Eurythmics, 1985
Let It Be, 1970
Save Me, 1967
Son Of A Preacher Man, 1970
You Send Me, 1968
Aretha was reportedly diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and ordered to rest by doctors in March.
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The musician was forced to cancel two live shows in March on doctors orders, making her last live performance at the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York last November.
That same month, Aretha was forced to confirm to Us Weekly that she was doing well after a fake Twitter account sent out a hoax about her death.
Im doing well generally, all test have come back good, she explained. Ive lost a lot of weight due to side effects of medicine, it affects your weight… Thanxxxx for your concern.
Previously, Aretha denied reports she was battling pancreatic cancer in 2011. Yet reports by the National Enquirer put her extreme weight loss down to a cancer relapse and chemotherapy in 2017.
During her glittering career, she has won 17 Grammy awards, as well as three special recognitions from the academy, and even achieved a Golden Globe award for Never Gonna Break My Faith.
More: Music
Aretha, whose biggest hits has included Respect, I Say A Little Prayer and Natural Woman, retired at 74 with one final album release, a collaboration with Stevie Wonder in 2017.
She said at the time: I must tell you, I am retiring this year. I feel very, very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from and where it is now.
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