Aretha Franklin Loses 85 Pounds, Says She Was 'Entirely Too Fat'

DETROIT (AP) — Aretha Franklin says she's lost 85 pounds as part of an ongoing effort to drop weight.

The legendary singer said in a taped interview that aired Wednesday on "The Wendy Williams Show" that she's been trying to shed pounds ever since looking at pictures of herself and deciding she was "entirely too fat."

Williams interviewed Franklin on Friday at a Detroit-area hotel.

The 68-year-old Franklin underwent surgery for an undisclosed ailment in December and didn't go into detail about it during the interview with Williams.

The "Queen of Soul" did say a recurring pain in her side last year was her "first inkling that something was not what it should be."

The second part of the interview is to air on Thursday.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)