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Music legend Aretha Franklin is gravely ill and reportedly receiving hospice care, friends of the singer said Monday, as prayers and well wishes poured in for the Grammy-winning "Queen of Soul."
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Evrod Cassimy, a local television journalist for WDIV who also described himself as a friend of the singer, said he spoke with the legend Monday morning and she was "with close friends and family, resting." "I've been speaking with her family members," Cassimy said during a newscast. "They have not only asked for prayers during this time, but they have also asked for their privacy."
In 2010, she suffered serious health problems but continued to perform until late last year, singing last in November 2017 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York. That same year, Detroit named a street after her.
Franklin's declining health was first disclosed on the Showbiz 411 website late Sunday by Roger Friedman, a reporter and family friend. He wrote that she was "gravely ill in Detroit. The family is asking for prayers and privacy."
Artists from across the musical spectrum offered well wishes to the legendary singer who has lived in Detroit — the Motor City, home of Motown — most of her life.
"My prayers are with Aretha Franklin and her family during this difficult time," tweeted rapper Missy Elliott. "We MUST CELEBRATE the Living Legends while they are here to see it. So many have given us decades of Timeless music."
Boy George said: "This is sad news. Aretha Franklin, what a voice."
"Pray for the Queen, Aretha Franklin, a true warrior and my dear friend," tweeted civil rights activist Al Sharpton.
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