Aretha Franklin’s family, who currently surround her in Detroit, have asked for prayers and privacy for the singing legend, who has battled health problems for the past number of years.
The 76-year-old was performing as recently as last year, but she had to cancel a series of concerts last summer, citing doctors orders.
Her final public performance was at Philadelphia’s Mann Center in August 2017.
Earlier last year she had revealed that 2017 would be her final year performing.
“I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert,” she announced during a Detroit radio interview that February. “This is it.”
The Respect icon has struggled with weight issues throughout her life and has battled alcoholism. She was also previously a chain smoker.
While still amazingly performing into her seventies, the superstar has, on occasion, cancelled performances for undisclosed medical treatments. All of her siblings have fallen to cancer.
The first ever woman inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and topping Rolling Stone’s Greatest Artists Of All Time list, Aretha has set an example for women everywhere.
She has also won 20 Grammys in throughout her career, including three special honours: the Legend Award (1991), the Lifetime Achievement Award (1994) and the MusiCares Person of the Year (2008).
