Aretha Franklin (58 page)

On November 4, 2010, the ongoing Aretha Franklin story shifted gears and became one of deep concern for her health. It was publicly announced that Aretha was canceling all of her public appearances, due to strict orders from her doctor. This would mark the beginning of several months of alarming concerns and conflicting reports about the status of Franklin's health.

The Detroit Free Press
reported that Aretha left Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit, on October 30. She had been hospitalized for several days and that she had an undisclosed medical condition.

With stories appearing around the globe, even Australia's
Herald Sun
proclaimed, “Legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin has been ordered by her physicians to cancel all concerts and appearances for six months following a recent hospitalization. Doctors' orders have required her to cancel all concert and personal appearances through May 2011.”
(25)
Amongst the canceled concert appearances was a planned Christmas concert, and two shows in February at New York City's Radio City Music Hall.

Through her publicist, Tracy Jordan, the press received word that, “Franklin is resting comfortably at home, but is anxious to get back on the road to perform for her countless fans around the world.” According to the same press release, Aretha appreciatively stated, “I would like to thank my friends, fans and supporters for all the beautiful flowers and their many well wishes.”
(24)

To give her side of the story, Aretha chose to grant a telephone interview with
Jet
magazine's Clarence Waldron. “I am doing OK,” she said amidst the interview. “I am getting the best of care. I have a superb team of doctors. I also have a Greater Authority. He is the doctor of doctors and I am standing on His promises … I'm not feeling 100-percent, but I'm not feeble or senile. You can print that,” she laughed.
(26)

She averted all questions about her exact health condition, merely explaining that more tests needed to be done. According to Aretha, she had prayed along with her friends, gospel singer Karen Clark-Sheard, Reverend Donald Parsons, and Bishop Paul Morton. “I know they can pray; they can sure ‘nuf go to the Lord in prayer,” claimed the soul diva. She ended her interview with, “I feel pretty good. My doctors and I are on it. God is good.”
(26)

On December 1, in downtown Detroit, City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson and several other Aretha friends gathered to hold a “Prayer Vigil” for Aretha's mysterious medical procedure she was due to have the following day.
The National Enquirer
online stated on December 2, that “Rumors have swept the blogosphere that Franklin may be suffering from a form of throat cancer.”
(27)

On December 8, 2010, Rev. Jesse Jackson gave an interview with Associated Press, and reported that he had been to Aretha's house, and that she is “recovering very well … She's conscious, communicating and taking daily walks up and down the hall … She has amazing strength— body, religion and faith. It's what keeps her going.”
(27)

That very same day,
The National Enquirer
reported that Aretha's mystery illness is in fact incurable pancreatic cancer. Whatever Aretha's ailment was, she was keeping it a guarded secret for as long as she could. In a cover story headlined “ARETHA CANCER STORY” the article claimed, “The Queen of Soul has only six to eight months to live, according to experts … But the surgery was not for gastric bypass—it was specifically for the pancreatic cancer she's been battling … Surgeons had to remove over half of her stomach … Insiders say the Queen of Soul underwent the standard operation for pancreatic cancer—called the ‘Whipple' procedure.”
(28)

Since it was also
The National Enquirer
who had so accurately predicted and covered the pancreatic cancer of Patrick Swayze, it was assumed that this prognosis is 100-percent accurate. To add to the air of mystery about what her health problem was, or was not, Aretha wasn't telling. Nor did anyone in her camp ever say that the
Enquirer
had the story wrong, so it was universally presumed to be true.

In a subsequent issue of
The National Enquirer
, it was reported that sixty-eight-year-old Aretha was rushed back to Sinai-Grace Hospital on December 21, after she collapsed in her home. The article claimed that she was in fact suffering from dehydration. After several days she left the hospital.

From the end of December and the beginning of January, Aretha decided to take up residence in the Grand Penthouse Suite of the MGM Grand Hotel in downtown Detroit. In an article about Aretha in the January 24 issue of
The National Enquirer
, the magazine showed the aftermath of the gala party that Aretha threw for herself in her luxury suite. Reportedly the bar was stocked with Veuve Clicquot, Cristal, and Dom Pérignon champagnes, Grey Goose and Stolichnaya vodkas, and there was a smorgasbord of everything from lobster and shrimp to filet mignon and prime rib. The party astonishingly cost a reported $180,000. Did this mean that Aretha was literally “partying like there is no tomorrow?” This all seemed most alarming.

Access Hollywood
reporter Shaun Robinson was granted a telephone interview with Aretha on January 13, 2011. With regard to her health crisis, Aretha explained, “Well, there was just so many wild things out there and just so many things being said that weren't true. I just felt I needed to address it a little.”
(29)
In the “so many things being said that weren't true” category, this likely refers to the original rumor that she had “throat cancer.”

However, she still refused to admit what it was that she was suffering from. What she did say was, “I went through a number of procedures before I knew what was wrong.”
(29)

She admitted to Sean that she had felt a pain in her side. “Yeah, the pain was so hard it almost brought me to my knees,” Aretha explained. “I was in Birmingham and then Boston and after that concert the same pain hit me again. I really just began to not feel good and I said, ‘Oh, no this is it, I can't do any more concerts till I know what the problem is.'”
(29)

And, what about the reports of pancreatic cancer? All Aretha would say was, “I don't know where ‘pancreatic cancer' came from. I was sitting there reading the newspaper and it was saying someone in my family said that. No one in my family ever said that to anybody.”
(29)

She then explained that her doctor said to her, “The surgery that you just had is going to add fifteen to twenty more years to your life.” That was about it for her frank disclosures. She had basically danced around the whole issue again.
(29)

What she would talk about was that she had heard from President Barack Obama. “I got a wonderful and beautiful letter from the President,” Aretha proudly admitted. “And nobody does it like him!”
(29)

She also claimed that she had been losing weight. According to Aretha, “I'm down to a rockin' [size] sixteen–eighteen.”
(29)

On January 16, 2011, Halle Berry was one of the glittering stars to attend the annual
Golden Globe Awards
in Hollywood. On the red carpet, Berry was asked by a reporter from
E! News
about Aretha Franklin's September 2010 announcement that she would like to have petite Halle portray her on the big screen. Halle let the Queen of Soul know that she was not interested in portraying her, by graciously stating, “If I could carry a tune, I'd consider it. Someone should tell Aretha that I can't do her justice.”
(30)

Aretha was surprised that Halle turned her down on national television but explained, “She was my first, but not my only choice. Everything is subject to negotiation and she shouldn't underestimate her own talent. There are a number of other leading ladies out there that can definitely handle the role … I never expected Halle Berry to sing, she's an actress, not a singer. Many actors have portrayed vocalists by lip-syncing to the artist's original recordings.”
(30)

Following months of seclusion, on February 11, 2011 Aretha suddenly made a surprise public appearance. She attended a Detroit Pistons basketball game, held at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan. For that particular game the local team was playing against the Miami Heat.

That evening, Aretha was dressed in a long-sleeve leopard-print top. She had obviously lost a lot of weight in just over two months. It was later reported that the amount of weight she had dropped since December was
eighty-five pounds. That night at the basketball game, Aretha sat in the second row with her date of the evening, Rev. Jesse Jackson. During the first quarter there was a break in the game and the cameras hit Aretha and her face was projected on the big screen, and her music played over the speaker system. That evening Detroit was both happy and proud to have their Queen of Soul up and about again.

She spoke briefly to the press that evening.
The Detroit News
reported that she said, “I'm feeling really great. Loving the game, loving the game.” According to her, this was, “My first night out. My downtime was over about three days ago.”
(31)

The biggest public outpouring of concern and tribute came on February 13, 2011, at the 53rd annual
Grammy Awards
telecast. With an audience of over twenty-six million television viewers, the spotlight was firmly placed upon Aretha Franklin and seven of her most classic songs, with an all-star soul / gospel / country / pop divas salute.

The segment that opened the show, featured singer / actor LL Cool J presiding over the segment. He reverently announced, “Aretha Franklin is, and always will be the Queen of Soul. Tonight she is the queen of our hearts too, and the Queen of the Grammys. We're talking about a legend who has received eighteen Grammys so far. Aretha is at home tonight in Detroit, getting better, so until our Queen comes back to us, some of our most talented musical princesses are coming together to show their R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Aretha and this Grammy house that she helped build.”
(32)

With that, he introduced Greg Phillinganes, conducting a full orchestra to accompany Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, gospel singer Yolanda Adams, country star Martina McBride, and Florence Welch of Florence & the Machine. Hudson opened the Aretha musical medley with the first lines of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” upon which all of the ladies joined in, each taking a stanza of the lyrics. They proceeded to include in their tribute: Christina's over-the-top version of “Ain't No Way,” Martina's rocking “Until You Come Back to Me,” Florence's sassy “Think,” Jennifer's impassioned “Respect,” and Yolanda's gospel-flavored “Spirit in the Dark.” The musical tribute concluded with all five musical divas rocking out on “Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves.”

After the segment of songs, Grammy viewers were treated to a pre-taped spot by Aretha Franklin herself. Looking thinner than she had been in years, Aretha was dressed in a flattering pale pink satin shoulderless gown, with perfectly coiffed hair, and a double string of pearls. She was taped in the living room of her Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, house. Behind her was dramatic fireplace, a black grand piano, and upon the classic instrument was a crystal vase filled with the soul queen's favorite flowers: red and pink, long-stemmed roses.

In her segment a heartfelt Aretha proclaimed, “Thank you ladies, I love you all. Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and members of the Grammy Academy. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be with you this evening. And to whom do I have to thank for this very special moment? The longtime producer and visionary of
The Grammy Awards
, Mr. Ken Ehrlich. Thank you so much Ken. And I especially want to thank all of you who took the time to send me Get Well cards and flowers— beautiful flowers; and, most importantly, your prayers during my time of hospitalization. I also want to especially thank Mr. Clive Davis for his concern and his wonderful letter to me. I wish that I could have been with you all tonight, but since I couldn't, mmmmmm, next year. OK? To all of the Grammy nominees tonight, ‘Good luck to you all.' Thank you so much, I love you. Have a good evening.”
(32)

After watching the tribute to her, off camera Aretha told the press that she was highly flattered by the whole event. “I loved it!” she proclaimed. “The ladies all sounded so wonderful and they looked fabulous! All of them were dressed to the nines! I enjoyed each and every performance, especially Yolanda doing ‘Spirit In the Dark' and Christina's rendition of ‘Ain't No Way.' Loved them all! They all looked beautiful, I really liked Jennifer's outfit, those epaulettes on her shoulder pads were too sharp! Bravo ladies!!!”
(33)

In a program which featured such name performers as Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Usher, Justin Beiber, and Lady Gaga, the eleven-minute tribute to the Queen of Soul was truly the highlight of the entire show. It was classy, exciting, and absolutely electrifying to see and to hear. And, the public's curiosity to catch a glimpse at the—reportedly—”three dress sizes slimmer” Aretha, truly piqued everyone's interest.

The photos of the new slimmer 2011 version of Aretha that were released that week on the internet showed a radiant Franklin with toned skin. Although it was essentially the same Aretha that millions of television audiences saw on
The Grammy Awards
pre-taped segment, the later “still” photos were clearly heavily airbrushed. The new versions of Aretha had a redefined neck and jaw line to make her appear healthier than she clearly was. Since the public still knew nothing of what Miss Franklin's true health problems were, it made it all the more alarming.

It was quite fitting that
The Grammy Awards
telecast should happen on the 13th of February, the eve of Valentine's Day. It served as a sincere tribute to everyone's favorite soul-singing Valentine, Aretha. The spotlight it placed on her was a sincere one, but it was also one that made everyone wonder what was really going on with Aretha. Was she just in the hospital to have her stomach reduced or blocked to cause her dramatic weight loss? Or, was this new slimmer look merely the sign of a truly grave health crisis? Were people scrambling to show their “respect” to Aretha for fear that she might be nearing the end of her long and eventful reign as the “Queen of Soul?”