Soul singer Aretha Franklin underwent a “highly successful” surgery on Thursday for an undisclosed health problem, the “Queen of Soul” said in a statement released by her spokeswoman.
In early November, Franklin, 68 and a multiple Grammy Award winner, canceled her concert and personal appearances until May 2011 on the orders of her doctors, No reason was given, and her representatives have declined to disclose her illness.
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Aretha Franklin to Undergo Surgery for Undisclosed Illness
“I had superb doctors and nurses whom were blessed by all the prayers of the city and the country,” Franklin said in a statement following her surgery.
The Detroit Free Press reported on Thursday afternoon that the “Respect” singer was “in good spirits and resting comfortably,” citing Franklin’s cousin, Brenda Corbett.
Aretha Franklin Cancels All Concert Through Spring 2011
City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson had organized a prayer vigil for Franklin on Wednesday in front of the Spirit of Detroit statue by Detroit’s city hall.
“We are not prying into the circumstances, the details of the surgery,” Watson said. “We just wanted her to know that we stand with her in prayer and love and support.”
Franklin, who sang at U.S. President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009, was admitted to a Detroit hospital in October for undisclosed reasons and released a few days later.
The singer also canceled two concerts in the summer after sustaining minor injuries in a fall at her home.
She is a living legend of U.S. soul music with a string of hits in the 1960s and ’70s that included “Chain of Fools,” “I Say a Little Prayer” and “I Never Loved a Man.”
(Reporting by David Bailey; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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