Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has successful surgery

Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has successful surgery

2010-12-04 02:08:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

DETROIT, MICHIGAN (BNO NEWS) -- Aretha Franklin, best known as the Queen of Soul, on Friday announced that she underwent a successful surgery in a Detroit hospital on Thursday. She thanked fans for prayers.

Franklin, 68, did not disclose the ailment that needed surgery as neither the name of the Detroit hospital in which she was treated. The soul singer only said that the procedure was performed on early Thursday.

"God is still in control," said Franklin, in a statement through her publicist, Tracey Jordan. "I had superb doctors and nurses whom were blessed by all the prayers of the city and the country. God bless you all for your prayers!"

Franklin surprisingly canceled six months of her agenda until next May, including concerts and personal appearances, after doctors ordered the 6-year-old singer to clear her calendar due to an illness that needed immediate care.

That news came shortly after Franklin made a brief visit to a Detroit hospital. A month earlier, the singer broke several ribs in a fall, causing her to miss two scheduled performances in New York.

Her last public performance took place in mid-October as Franklin sang at the funeral of gospel legend Albertina Walker in Chicago, Illinois. She was thinner than before during her performance of "I’ll fly away."

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