Aretha Franklin In Hospice Care At Detroit Home
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
DETROIT (CBSMiami/CNN) -- Aretha Franklin is in hospice care at her home, a source close to the 76-year-old singer told CNN.
Word of the "Queen of Soul" being gravely ill was first reported by Showbiz 411.
Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman told CNN: "She has a great family, she's surrounded by love, and the world is sending prayers. All further announcements will be made by her family. We just want to send love and prayers."
The soul singer has been dogged by reports of failing health for years and appeared frail in recent photos, but she has kept her struggles private.
In February of 2017, Franklin announced that she would stop touring, but she continued to book concerts. Earlier this year, she canceled a pair of performances, including at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, on doctor's orders, according to Rolling Stone. In 2010, she was forced to cancel to scheduled performances due to fractured ribs and abdominal pain.
Franklin's career spans six decades. She got her start singing gospel music in a Detroit church where her father was the minister. In 1960, she signed with her first major record label. By 1968, Franklin was an established soul chart-topper with hits like "Respect," "Chain of Fools" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."
That same year she was tapped to sing at the memorial service of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. where she performed a stirring rendition of "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."
Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1987 -- a year before the Beatles were inducted. In 1994, at age 52, she became the youngest at that time to receive a Kennedy Center Honor. Franklin has 44 Grammy nominations and 18 wins. She has performed at the inaugurations of three presidents: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. President George W. Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
Franklin's last album, "A Brand New Me," released in 2017, remixed her vintage vocals with newly recorded arrangements.
Franklin's last known performance was at a private gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation last November.
Fans Rally Around Aretha
Many fans are giving Franklin her flowers now.
In the wake of news that the she is gravely ill, social media has been flooded with tributes.
Former president Bill Clinton tweeted late Monday asking others to "lift" the ailing star.
"Like people all around the world, Hillary and I are thinking about Aretha Franklin tonight & listening to her music that has been such an important part of our lives the last 50 years," the tweet read. "We hope you'll lift her up by listening and sharing her songs that have meant the most to you."
He joined a chorus of other famous voices including Mariah Carey, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Chance the Rapper who offered well-wishes and prayers for the the 76-year-old singer.
Her popularity has spanned generations and some fans shared personal stories of having met the icon.
"I met Aretha Franklin when I was 9, my grandfather's gf was her close friend," one person tweeted. "They took me to a concert and remember watching her backstage with her fur and diamonds commanding the room like a boss. I just knew I wanted to be like that!"
