an outpouring of love for the ailing
Queen of Soul as so many learn of Aretha
Franklin's health crisis her family says
Aretha has asked for prayers and she is
getting them from all over the world
yeah let's let's start with a look at
where things stand as we've been
reporting since this morning
Franklin's family tells local for the
legendary singer is quote gravely ill
right now the family has chosen not to
publicly reveal the cause of this health
crisis but they do tell us Franklin is
surrounded by friends and my family and
to say Aretha Franklin has strong ties
to Detroit would be a huge
understatement to many she's synonymous
with the city and it is no surprise the
woman with the voice of an angel and a
pastor for a father maintains strong
ties to the faith community especially
one Detroit church Paula Topman is live
at New Bethel Church with a look at how
folks there are rallying around was the
Lovett singer
hi absolutely and as we're talking to
people who have contact with her and I
shouldn't say her I should say people
who are surrounding her but they had
contact with her recently and and we're
getting a sense that she had every
indication that whatever this is
whatever this is she's fighting she
thought she could beat there are
indications that Aretha Franklin thought
she would be singing today that whatever
has been at war with her body would not
win she had plans with her opera vocal
coach to learn a new Aria and we're
supposed to work three weeks ago on this
German area you know I think because she
is so so larger than life that you can't
imagine her being gravely ill eight
weeks ago she contacted the pastor of
New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit her
father's Church and informed the pastor
that she would be performing in her
annual benefit concert as she was
planning a concert for this month not
having heard anything else about that I
knew she had to be really really
suffering or feeling too bad to even
think about it today the flock here is
prayerful that somehow in some way she
will return here to sing again he
brought up here in the church singing
all of her life she's always been on
stage he's always been singing the
gospel of truth to the people of God
known to be generous with her talent and
her support emotional and financial and
she was also known to continue to
support her father's house of worship
well now the wreath of the church
wouldn't still be here season one was
kept alive on these last 30-some years I
just say I love you and I thank you for
all the help that you've given to the
church and certainly in my last 36 years
of my life has been very exciting just
knowing that she knows me keeps me
excited every day
yeah you know I imagine everyone who she
knew probably feels that way certainly
her name is being spoken all over the
globe today but probably no where else
is it more important than here near
where her father's name is on the side
of his church as well as hers guys back
to you know Paulo there's so many people
that are are thinking about the Queen
right now and and what she obviously is
going through and I know so many people
at that church she gave me like you said
financially but she had relationships
with the people there you were talking
about that earlier she you know what she
she had a relationship with a lot of
people too a lot of people locally she
was just RiRi or she was a pal or she
was a friend to the world and to the
people who didn't know her she was an
icon she is an icon let me correct
myself she is an icon a living legend
Thank You Paula and there has been an
outpouring of support on social media as
well this afternoon LaToya Jackson
tweeted a picture of a 1968 Time
magazine with a rethus portrait on the
cover and the message my prayers to
Aretha Franklin and her family
acknowledging reports of her illness and
ending with continuing continued prayers
to you pop star Ciara tweeted praying
for Aretha Franklin and her family right
now and Mariah Carey had a similar tweet
earlier to that today you know you can
only not you can acknowledge there was
just one name that's why she's an icon
as well very true we are constantly
updating our coverage of this story on
clickondetroit.com we have created a
special section where you can learn
about her spectacular career and also
post your well wishes you can find that
at clickondetroit.com slash Aretha
Franklin