Aretha Franklin’s intervieweed by Wendy Williams airs today.
Something of a coup for Wendy, who I remember well from her Queen of gossip days at Hut 97.
As for Aretha, she appears to be denying she had the often deadly pancreatic cancer, if only through omission.
Accordording to Contact.com, the Queen Of Soul said: ” That [pain in my side] was my first inkling that something was wrong, that something wasn’t what it should be.
“The pain was so hard it nearly brought me to my knees. So I said, ‘The concerts are over. I have to go find out what is wrong.'”
When the talk show host said: “In December we all found out that you were having abdominal surgery”, Aretha replied: “Hmm. Is that what you heard?”
Aretha also promises to reschedule her concert dates, inckluding the one at Radio City Music Hall. The last time I saw her at Radio Ciity, 2009, she was in a Curtis Mayfield sorta mood and to claim she was magnifcent is to understate the case.
I will certainly be there for her next visit.