'Queen of Soul' Aretha Franklin hospitalized, 'gravely ill,' reports say

HOUSTON – The "Queen of Soul", Aretha Franklin, has been hospitalized, according to several news reports.

Showbiz 411 broke the news late Sunday night saying the singer was "gravely ill" in Detroit. 

The 76-year-old is reportedly surrounded by family and friends, who are asking for prayers.

After the news of her being ill, many on social media shared memories of listening to her music and prayers for the artist.

A snippet of Aretha Franklin's vast career

Franklin was born March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee.

She began singing as a child in the New Bethel Baptist Church choir.

Franklin signed her first recording contract in 1960 with Columbia Records, but it wasn't until 1967 that she garnered fame with hits like "Respect,"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman  and "Think" on Atlantic Records.

PLAYLIST: Some of Aretha Franklin's greatest hits

It was after those hits, and countless others, that she solidified her role in R&B, Soul music and earned the title of the "Queen of Soul. 

Franklin has won 18 Grammys and racked up 44 nominations. Ten of those wins are for Best R&B Vocal Performance. She also holds Grammy Lifetime Achievement and Grammy Living Legend awards.

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Aretha Franklin performs onstage at the Elton John AIDS FoundationNew York Fall Gala at Cathedral of St. John the Divine on November 7, 2017, in New York City.

Franklin not only cracked the glass ceiling, but broke through it by becoming the first woman to the be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987.

Franklin dabbled in acting, making her first appearance on the silver screen in a little movie entitled "The Blues Brothers."  She played a sassy singing waitress who was the wife of Matt "Guitar" Murphy in the 1980 film, in which she performed the hit "Think."

Franklin's songs have been featured on countless movie soundtracks and television shows including, "Glow," "Acrimony," "Girls Trip" and " Captain Underpants." 

Her last performance was in November 2017 at the Elton John Aids Foundation Gala in New York.


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