Aretha Franklin has died. She was 76.
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Aretha Franklin has died. She was 76.
Of course she was a GREAT singer, no question about that. However, the constant "reports" of her texting, watching tv and talking with friends and relatives certainly took away from the dignity of the situation. If she was actually THAT well to do those things, people wouldn't be coming to the house to "say good-bye" and there wouldn't have been a special church service for her! There's nothing embarrassing about dying. All of us will. Everyone knew she was in bad shape. Why pretend that wasn't the case?
RIP Aretha!
I used to deliver flowers when I was in high school at a place right by where she lived. I used to DREAD going to her house. She treated me like shit every time I had to go there. Just thought that needed to be said.
Also, R.I.P I guess.
First of all, her mansion was trash. There was an old limo that sat half in the driveway and half in the yard with grass grown all around it, Christmas lights still out in the middle of July. I was only able to see through the front door into her entryway, but there were extension cords EVERYWHERE, and her carpet didn't look like it had been cleaned or even vacuumed in years. It was disgusting.
Then, whenever I delivered something, I had to get a signature or I wouldn't get paid for it. EVERY TIME I went there (bitch got a lot of flowers) I had to ring her doorbell, she would come on the intercom and tell me to leave them on the porch. I had to tell her EVERY TIME that I wouldn't get paid unless she signed for them, at which point she would get all pissy and waddle down to the door in whatever she happened to be wearing, which frankly was sometimes horrifying (think terrycloth tube top with no bra). She would open the door, not say anything to me, sign for her flowers, take her flowers, and slam the door. Not one tip. EVER.
She just died, I'm not trying to ruin anyone's perception or anything. She was an incredible musician, and loved by so many people. I love her music, and Detroit is probably going to freak the eff out over the next week or so I'm sure.
Maybe I just got the wrong end of her personality or whatever, but damn.
All I knew of Aretha was her music. She will always be part of my Life Soundtrack. RIP.
I knew driving home when I heard Say A Little Prayer For Me on the radio. RIP Queen of Soul.
There were other singers of the era that I preferred to her. Just not a fan. But, RIP.
Great music, RIP Aretha.
Dammit.
"...Aretha was the real deal. She has an amazing voice and she didn't give. a. shit. about what ANYONE thought of her." --Scott Michaels
My kinda gal.
Interesting. I can definitely see how you wouldn't have liked her. (And I'm not a fan, particularly.) A lot of people are a little antisocial when people come knocking on the door - me included - but not giving you a tip is indeed shitty. Surprising that she wouldn't have servants answering the door for her (or vacuuming her carpet.)
Yeah I am surprised that her house was in that state and that she didn't have someone to clean for her or tend to the lawn and a housekeeper to answer the door. rest in peace Lady, you had a hell of a voice, cancer sucks.
https://c2.vgtstatic.com/thumbll/4/7...ns-house-1.jpg if this is the home, it looks well maintained, and I don't see a lot of grass unless you went in the back, or was this the house you went to?
https://www.networthofmillionaires.c...06/House-1.jpg The inside of her mansion.
Just one thing for sure:Cancer Sucks.
Wow, you merged ALL the threads. I only jumped the gun by 8 years.
death certificate - pancreatic cancer
http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/newsdesk...cert%20new.pdf
Aretha died with no will. Surprising as she was ill so long and one of her son's has special needs.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...214600540.html
no will - let the fighting began
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...ate-death.html
Oh crap. No will! Relatives, up to six degrees of separation, will be crawling out from rocks nationwide. (damn that commercial that made sing "is by your side.) Damn Mad Men.
A pillow for her shoes seems a bit much. But, overall, a nice pic. I don't like seeing the deceased's face that much. It tries to become your last visual.
She will be in a different outfit tomorrow, and another for the funeral. The jewelry she is wearing is custom made for the viewing.
The last few years she was so thin, but nobody said a thing.
I have never seen someone with their ankles crossed. More casual and relaxed looking I suppose.
I admit - I would like to see a photo of her face.
Poor devil has gone from Respect to inspect the corpse inside the coffin. RIP.
She will be in a different outfit tomorrow, and another for the funeral. The jewelry she is wearing is custom made for the viewing.
This is not, I repeat, NOT fake news ! Various websites are providing the details in the wardrobe changes.
https://www.freep.com/story/entertai...on/1122245002/
Her funeral was broadcasted online. Closed casket, but they changed the casket too. Guess the golden one was just for the viewing.
Any pics of her second attire?
Ariana Grande sings A Natural Woman at memorial service. She can't sing and her skirt was way too short. Clinton didn't seem to mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkinJsfWmQo
No way in hell, am I going to hit that link. It sounds scary.
That old man on the left be like "Dat butt gone whomp upside the face any minute." Clinton did look pleased. Jesse Jackson looked daze.
Grandeā??s attire & performance werenā??t great but the most troublesome impression (other than why not get one of 100,000 better more suitable vocalists, even the songā??s writer Carole King, to sing it?!) was that Grande made it all about her. My long fake hair is in the way. Iā??m uncomfortable with this microphone. These ill chosen heels make me wobble like a wet newborn fawn.
Yo...
Ainā??t about you. Siddown and show some respect.
**And now the serviceā??s presiding bishop is receiving heat for holding Grande inappropriately, getting some side boob. True that oneā??s attire is not permission for groping. Bummed that yet another item is taking focus off the individual being memorialized.
I never cared for her music nor disliked her, but I have heard from two different sources that she was a real diva.
I don't think Aretha would have been happy with the circus her funeral turned in to. She was from an older generation where mourning and respect for the deceased was a whole different critter. This turned into another VMA show. Always leave a will, discuss and get in on paper, how you want your funeral run.
No will: a sign Aretha was surrounded by the wrong kind of managers. Ella Fitzgerald by contrast was fortunate to have Norman Granz to look after her singing career and her business affairs. Now the state gets to decide where her million$$ go.
Surprised nobody is talking about the Man of God that groped the hell out of Ariana. She should have launched into "Respect" on the spot.
Interesting story of how Aretha cut "I Never Loved A Man" down at Muscle Shoals (AL) FAME studio. It was the first song they worked on and it was in the difficult 6/8 time, almost like a waltz. Pianist Spooner Oldham helped figure out the groove and they recorded the song in about 15 minutes. Aretha and her husband didn't get along well with Rick Hall, the studio owner. They ended up leaving the next day and later brought the Muscle Shoals rhythm section up to New York to finish cutting the records.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbA931UxX68
Spooner ended up playing on more of her records, including "Respect".
her estate has some tax issues.
https://pagesix.com/2018/12/28/areth...-taxes-to-irs/
The eight part miniseries about Aretha's life on the National Geographic Channel has the family in a dither for what they're calling privacy reasons. Well, she signed off on it before she died and did not want her family to interfere with its writing, casting, production, or editing because she'd dealt with their sanitizing of her life in the press since she was dubbed the Queen of Soul. Four of the eight parts ran tonight, and being a big Arethaphile, I've gotta say she did the right thing.
It didn't come out until 2019, when her final handwritten and signed will was found, that the children she had at 12 and 14 were not from trysts with a boy at school. They were the product of the same man raping her twice. The family tried unsuccessfully to keep that a secret and are being rather sanctimonious about it. Her father got a 12 year-old pregnant when he was married to Aretha's mother, yet he shamed and blamed his own daughter for being in the same position that her dad put the other girl in.
Aretha wanted all of her children's stories to be told honestly, and she wanted her two oldest sons to share in her estate, residuals, etc.
I like this version of her story because it shows how Aretha became the strong and decisive woman she grew into. It also emphasizes how she used her talent to further the civil rights movement alongside people like Martin Luther King Jr. among others.
Interesting factoid about the miniseries: The women portraying Aretha at different ages in her life are doing their own singing so far. Do they sound like her? Does anybody. They do have their own chops though.
I may watch the Lifetime (gag) version starring Jennifer Hudson, or I may not. That one's supposed to be sanitized for our protection. The family also signed off on it. That likely means we'll be seeing the same story we've heard dozens of tiles.
I just got finished watching the conclusion tonight. I really enjoyed this series about her. Its a shame that we never got to see the performances of "Respect" or "Natural Woman" - those were just two song titles mentioned in passing. I thought altho the woman who played her didn't look too much like her, her singing wasn't too bad. It was nice to see the truth being told about her father in this. I'm looking forward to seeing the Jennifer Hudson version, altho I know it probably won't top this except maybe with the singing. Jennifer is pretty good in that aspect - she was great in Dreamgirls.