The Inside Story!

Aretha Franklin’s Family Confirms Star Is ‘Very Ill’

Queen of Soul plagued by mystery illnesses

By National ENQUIRER Staff

Aug 13, 2018 @ 10:54AM

Aretha Franklin is surrounded by her family in a Detroit hospital as the R&B legend fights for life — with the star’s sister-in-law confirming that the Queen of Soul is “very ill.” Cendia Franklin, who’s married to Aretha’s brother Vaughn, told RADAR Online exclusively that Aretha’s latest health crisis has “been going on for months,” and that “a lot of her family is around her, supporting her.” Cendia wouldn’t comment on Aretha’s illness, however, although insiders had told The National ENQUIRER in 2017 that she’d suffered a relapse in her cancer battle. That was a year after Aretha had shocked fans during a concert by abruptly revealing that she’d recently survived another cancer crisis!

Aretha Franklin’s Family Confirms Star Is ‘Very Ill’

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Photo credit: Mega

The summer of 2018 marked a year since Aretha had performed a full concert, despite the soul diva insisting that she was retiring to Detroit in 2017 with plans for “a small club” where she'd continue to sing. Insiders and fans had been concerned over her drastic weight loss, with Aretha denying a renewed cancer battle while also dismissing speculation that she lost 200 pounds through gastric bypass surgery.

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Photo credit: Mega

“I heard that rumor,” said Aretha (seen here in 2015 with Clive Davis). “I said, ‘That is crazy.’ It definitely was not the bariatric — or, what is it, gastric? Yeah, I can’t even tell you the correct name of it.” The soul legend also made it clear that she'd refuse to go public with any secrets, saying: “It’s really not necessary to talk about one’s personal medical health.”