Aretha Franklin took plenty of feuds to her grave, but finally admitted the secret identity of her one great love! Insiders have told The National ENQUIRER that the Queen of Soul confessed on her deathbed that she’d had a secret four-decade affair with James Brown — the legendary Godfather of Soul! As earlier reported by The ENQUIRER, insiders believed Aretha would take the secret of her great showbiz passion to the grave, after first going public with her great love for the “well-known public figure” that she only referred to as “Mr. Mystique.” The star had first addressed her secret passion in her autobiography, “Aretha: From These Roots,” saying that the couple originally shared just a single night of passion in a New York City hotel room after they met in the 1950s. “I had never been kissed, loved or touched like that,” she recalled, and awoke to a message written in lipstick on the bathroom mirror: “I love you, baby.”
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Aretha even credited James as the inspiration for her 1977 album "Sweet Passion" — but later revealed that she finally turned her back on James after he refused to make a commitment. "Mr. Mystique turned out to be Mr. Selfish, Mr. Self-Centered, Mr. Self-Serving, and Mr. Full-Of-It," wrote Aretha. All the public knew, however, was that Aretha and James never performed together again after failing to score a hit with 1989's "Gimme Your Love."
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Photo credit: Getty Images
“She kept it to herself all her life,” confirmed a close source, “but Aretha’s heart belonged to James.” But while her deathbed confession contributes to musical history, it also complicates Aretha's notorious feud with
Tina Turner. Many fans had believed that Aretha's mystery man was Tina's ex
Ike Turner, which would have explained
the continuing rivalry between the legendary divas!
Aretha even credited James as the inspiration for her 1977 album "Sweet Passion" — but later revealed that she finally turned her back on James after he refused to make a commitment. "Mr. Mystique turned out to be Mr. Selfish, Mr. Self-Centered, Mr. Self-Serving, and Mr. Full-Of-It," wrote Aretha. All the public knew, however, was that Aretha and James never performed together again after failing to score a hit with 1989's "Gimme Your Love."
“She kept it to herself all her life,” confirmed a close source, “but Aretha’s heart belonged to James.” But while her deathbed confession contributes to musical history, it also complicates Aretha's notorious feud with
Tina Turner. Many fans had believed that Aretha's mystery man was Tina's ex
Ike Turner, which would have explained
the continuing rivalry between the legendary divas!Photo credit: Getty Images
