American singer and songwriter, Aretha Franklin, is gravely ill.
Franklin, dubbed the Queen of Soul, has reportedly asked for prayers from her fans worldwide.
According to Local 4, a Detroit news outlet, the 76 years old is surrounded by family and friends as her health rapidly fails.
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Evrod Cassimy, a news anchor at the station, confirmed that Franklin’s family informed him of her condition on Monday.
“I am so saddened to report that the Queen of Soul and my good friend, Aretha Franklin is gravely ill,” Cassimy tweeted.
“I spoke with her family members this morning. She is asking for your prayers at this time. I’ll have more details as I’m allowed to release.”
Franklin, 76, underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer in December 2010 and has often taken ill in the subsequent years.
In March 2018, Franklin cancelled her scheduled tour dates after she was advised by her doctor to “stay off the road and rest completely for at least the next two months”.
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Her last performance was in November 2017 at Elton John’s annual AIDS Foundation gala.
Months ago, Franklin told Cassimy that she would retire from touring in 2018.
“I am retiring this year. I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert,” she had said.
“This is it.”
Fellow celebrities and musicians have taken to Twitter to wish Franklin a quick recovery. See their tweets below:
My prayers are with Aretha Franklin & her family during this difficult time ?? LOOK BELOW @ what I tweeted at the top of the year we MUST CELEBRATE the Living Legends while they are here to see it. So many have given us decades of Timeless music…❤️ https://t.co/VVacLxcMSI
— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) August 13, 2018
Never forget that Aretha Franklin saved the 1998 Grammys when she stepped in for Luciano Pavarotti at the last minute to perform "Nessun Dorma." A PERFORMER. pic.twitter.com/CFmkUxMOya
— Michael Blackmon (@blackmon) August 13, 2018
I know Aretha Franklin is not immortal but I need her to be.
— Julie S. Lalonde (@JulieSLalonde) August 13, 2018
Thinking about the iconic
Aretha Franklin.
And of course
"I Say a Little Prayer for You"
? #GetWellSoon #Music #MondayMotivation #MusicMonday pic.twitter.com/uOmStwrP02
— Tom Hall ☘ (@TomHall) August 13, 2018
