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Aretha Franklin gossip

Rumors about Aretha that I think are true:

- Her father, C. L. Franklin, molested her and he was the father of her first two children.

- C. L. was involved in a drug/prostitution ring or something and the people who shot him were people he had swindled in some way; I'm sketchy on the details of this, but I remember a shitload of cash and porn being found in his house after the fact.

- One of her husbands slept with her son (one of the ones fathered by her father?).

Again, I'm sketchy on some of these details. Perhaps others could shed more light.

Do her older sons suffer from any abnormalities that we know of as a result of their rumored incestuous parentage? Didn't one of them almost burn down Aretha's house?

by Anonymousreply 81August 16, 2018 2:59 PM

I think Glynn Turman was the one who slept with her son. She walked in on them. After that marriage failed, she really packed on the weight.

by Anonymousreply 1July 23, 2012 4:09 PM

Also, when exactly did Aretha's voice start to decline? I haven't heard any of her late '70s material, but by the early '80s she sounded noticeably different than she did on her classic late '60s/early '70s Atlantic recordings. Had her voice started to go before then?

by Anonymousreply 2July 23, 2012 4:14 PM

No wonder she's such a bitch...

She's had a bitchy life!

by Anonymousreply 3July 23, 2012 4:20 PM

I heard she ate a whole child.

by Anonymousreply 4July 23, 2012 4:26 PM

She makes homemade chicken grease popsicles.

by Anonymousreply 5July 23, 2012 4:29 PM

Gladys Knight FAR superior. Rethie can't deal

by Anonymousreply 6July 23, 2012 4:46 PM

Rethie can eat, though.

by Anonymousreply 7July 23, 2012 4:50 PM

Don't forget her favourite recipe:

1 box Jello brand instant pudding, prepared

1 box Nabisco brand Vanilla Wafers

1 spoon

Serves: 1

by Anonymousreply 8July 23, 2012 4:52 PM

^^ That's banana pudding, btw.

by Anonymousreply 9July 23, 2012 5:02 PM

Seriously? This is the best you guys can do?

by Anonymousreply 10July 23, 2012 7:34 PM

I thought the guy who shot her dad was a former lover? C.L. had been screwing him when he was a kid, and that's how he knew the layout of the house and the fact that he kept large amounts of cash in a safe in his bedroom closet. The shooter thought the old pervert owed him for all his years of service and decided to rob him. I believe that I read this here, but I could be wrong.

by Anonymousreply 11July 23, 2012 7:56 PM

I heard she has another grown child hidden under one of her tittays.

by Anonymousreply 12July 23, 2012 8:54 PM

She LOVES the gays!!!

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by Anonymousreply 13July 23, 2012 9:05 PM

R11, I hadn't heard that. You might be confusing him with Rev. James Cleveland, but I'm not sure if he was shot; I know he is dead, though.

by Anonymousreply 14July 23, 2012 9:13 PM

Black fathers raping black daughters, hohum typical.

by Anonymousreply 15July 23, 2012 9:14 PM

The title cut from her "Hey Now Hey (The Other Side Of The Sky)."

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by Anonymousreply 16July 23, 2012 9:47 PM

Her voice still sounds good there, R16. Weird song, though - like she was trying to emulate LaBelle or something. That was the beginning of the nadir of her career, and she never did climb quite as high again.

by Anonymousreply 17July 24, 2012 12:15 AM

[quote]Do her older sons suffer from any abnormalities that we know of as a result of their rumored incestuous parentage?

I read somewhere that her oldest son, Clarence, the one who's alleged to have been found in bed with her husband, is in an institution now and that he hates his mother.

by Anonymousreply 18July 24, 2012 7:05 AM

Bump.

by Anonymousreply 19July 24, 2012 7:31 AM

Interesting family history here...

by Anonymousreply 20July 24, 2012 11:12 AM

Well, my Godfather whom I should say was a friend at one time of CL Franklin told me out of his own mouth that CL was cruel and her mother did not abandon her her father sent her away to a crazy house and said she was crazy you know you could do that back then that way you did not have to get a divorce. He had an eye for Roberta Martin who could sing gosple very well also CL was a user he knew that if he got with her she would teach aretha. when she got bigger he got so protective of her even the sisters were jealous next thing you know she had a son called clarence same name as her father. Something suppose to be wrong with him. She keeps her kids a secret.

by Anonymousreply 21January 25, 2013 9:08 PM

I could tell you things. Yes I could.

But unless you pay me, let's just say that old Clarence LaVaughn taught Re all she knows about relationships. ALL she knows.

by Anonymousreply 22January 26, 2013 12:15 AM

How sad

by Anonymousreply 23January 26, 2013 12:47 AM

Never heard the 'caught Glynn Turman with a guy' bit.Just remember she had married this handsome actor, moved to LA, life was beautiful - then suddenly they were getting divorced. That explains alot. WEHT Glynn ?

by Anonymousreply 24January 26, 2013 12:58 AM

Why is J Espisito comemnting on Aretha? Am I missing something??

by Anonymousreply 25January 26, 2013 1:12 AM

Rev.C.L. Franklin was a closet case. That's what I know. And he had a taste for young boys. Not kids, but boys who were around 16-17. One night a young boy he had relations with tried to rob him in his house, and shot him. He was kept alive artificially for years.

The part you say about him getting his wife locked up is true. He was also physically "strict"(abusive) to his kids, Carolyn, Erma, Aretha and Cecil. To my knowledge he never sexually abused his kids, he was just a mean assed bastard.

From a young age, Aretha, like Whitney, was a star in church. People would come from all over to Rev Franklin's church to hear Aretha and that choir. Her sisters were talented too, Carolyn wrote one of her classics, Ain't No Way. But Carolyn and Aretha fell out. Carolyn died of cancer. So did Cecil & Erma.

When Aretha was about 16 she met Ted White. He was a thug. He was literally a pimp. When he married Aretha, he got rid of his whores, and became her manager. He would beat her. One time he threw her down the steps in the lobby of a hotel in Washington D.C.

After seeing how her father treated her mother and how he treated his kids, here she was in this situation with Ted White. They had two or three kids. One of Aretha's sons is gay and two of them are troubled children.

One of her kids burned down her house, but even though the cops knew it was arson and that he was the prime suspect, no charges were pressed and he went away. That same kid used to get in fights with other kids and bited people.

Then Aretha married Glen Thurman. I don't know if he was found in bed with her gay son, but that's what is said. I don't know about that. I do know that she had a "special relationship" with Jessie Jackson, and to this day they are close, and he did help her get thru some rough years when her kids were teenagers and when she was on her own.

Aretha's daddy was a civil rights figure and people in the Detroit community admired him, because he was friends with MLK. Rev. Franklin wanted to be like King & he was just second tier. Jessie is another one who was real jealous of Dr. King. So that's what I know about that.

by Anonymousreply 26January 26, 2013 1:15 AM

[quote]bited people.

Oh DEAR...

by Anonymousreply 27January 26, 2013 1:20 AM

HONGRAY!!

by Anonymousreply 28January 26, 2013 1:32 AM

RE 25 - Cause Jennifer Espisito caught then husband Bradley Cooper in bed with a guy when they were married.....allegdly !

by Anonymousreply 29January 26, 2013 1:34 AM

Is Aretha a compulsive overeater?

by Anonymousreply 30January 26, 2013 1:46 AM

She once ate 4lbs of uncooked tripe.

by Anonymousreply 31January 26, 2013 1:47 AM

KFC wrappings and nasty skid marks on her sheets

by Anonymousreply 32January 26, 2013 1:59 AM

Do a Google search for the 'Exposing Many Skeletons in Aretha Franklin's Closet' thread on LipstickAlley.com. That site is mostly a lame gossip forum for black women but I remember that thread having lots of gossip on Aretha.

by Anonymousreply 33January 26, 2013 2:00 AM

Aretha smoked cigarettes. She had unhealthy eating habits and a slow metabolism. She never walked when she could ride, and she never exercised or did things that people do now. She did like to dance a little at her house parties and stuff like that, but she was definitely of a generation, like myself to some extent, that it never crossed your mind to get exercise.

Aretha was definitely an old fashioned soul food lover, and she ate fast food too. Lots of fried foods, like catfish and whiting, and even the veggies were cooked with salt pork or smoked ham hocks. Hot homemade rolls swimming in butter, macaroni & cheese, candied sweet potatoes, fried corn, that sort of thing.

In fact, we use a lot of butter to cook with back then. Sometimes I watch Paula Deen and she comes really close to the way people used to cook and eat before we all got sick with high colesterol and diabetes.

by Anonymousreply 34January 26, 2013 2:01 AM

It is rumored that when the river was deep, she faltered. When the mountain was high, she didn't believe. When the valley was low, it stopped her. She did't know he was waiting. She didn't.

by Anonymousreply 35January 26, 2013 2:07 AM

only would have one bowel movement per week

by Anonymousreply 36January 26, 2013 2:11 AM

See, juicy gossip stuff and threads like this is why I, a straight chick, comes to this site.

R26, your post rings true to me.

R21, Interesting! I knew there was something fishy about the departure of Re's mother. That seems like a logical/legal/religious right way for a reverend to get rid of his wife.

However, I don't know about Rev. Franklin fathering Re's kids, but I did hear a bit about that rumor.

[quote]Aretha's daddy was a civil rights figure and people in the Detroit community admired him, because he was friends with MLK. Rev. Franklin wanted to be like King & he was just second tier. Jessie is another one who was real jealous of Dr. King. So that's what I know about that.[/quote]

My mother always said Jesse Jackson was jealous of MLK, and that was the reason she didn't like him.

So, I guess she was right, again. ...

by Anonymousreply 37January 26, 2013 6:29 AM

OMG, we had the same throw on our couch when I was growing up!

Aretha...unforgettably.

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by Anonymousreply 38January 26, 2013 11:18 PM

Dearest Re Re! An early example of her many disasters with no bra.

by Anonymousreply 39January 26, 2013 11:48 PM

No bra?

Correction: that was a yellow bikini top with no support, mind you.

by Anonymousreply 40January 27, 2013 8:02 AM

Has she kept the weight off? Did she have gastric bypass?

by Anonymousreply 41February 17, 2014 5:28 AM

what's in her purse? Why does her assistant always bring it on stage right before she enters and then remove it and the end of the show?

by Anonymousreply 42February 17, 2014 5:48 AM

Great thread. I'd love to see a biography about her life. She was smaller years ago, but still no Hallie Berry. Can't believe she would think one of the great beauties of our time should play her.

by Anonymousreply 43February 17, 2014 12:06 PM

She insists on being paid in cash before going on stage. That purse brought out during the show probably has the money.

by Anonymousreply 44February 17, 2014 1:00 PM

Didn´t her father preside over Florence Ballard´s funeral?

by Anonymousreply 45February 17, 2014 1:38 PM

Damn. You bitches are spillin' the tea. Miss Re will not be pleased.

by Anonymousreply 46February 17, 2014 2:42 PM

Is it true that George Michael said he never wanted to work with her again because she was too intimidating? Maybe Aretha came on to George.

by Anonymousreply 47February 17, 2014 3:36 PM

"Aretha smoked cigarettes"

That helps you stay thin because it's an appetite suppressant. She really blew it!

by Anonymousreply 48February 17, 2014 3:50 PM

The last time she sat on a stool while she was performing Tom Ed had to reinforce that stool with lug nuts

by Anonymousreply 49February 17, 2014 4:19 PM

She may be fat... she may be a diva, but the lady has the skills to back up her title as queen of soul.

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by Anonymousreply 50February 17, 2014 4:30 PM

Glynn Turman was handsome

by Anonymousreply 51February 17, 2014 4:32 PM

C.L. Franklin, I am told, had more interest in young men, than he had in molesting his three daughters. he was very strict with them and with his son, Cecil.

Aretha married a bona fide pimp, and local gangster. His name was Ted White. he was her "manager." They had two kids. Ted used to beat her with regularity. Even knocked her down some steps at the Hyatt in Washington D.C. he was a real pig.

Aretha has one son who's gay, but I doubt seriously she ever found him in bed with Glenn Thurman. Glenn didn't need to go there. Plus Aretha's sons were overweight and even the gay son wasn't very good looking.

I think she has three sons. One of them has mental health problems. He's the one who set fire to her house. Claimed it was an accident. But it wasn't. That is all I will say. All her siblings are dead. She has some nieces and nephews to take care of. I think she might also be a grandmother. Not sure.

by Anonymousreply 52February 17, 2014 4:32 PM

Thank you, R50! That's Queen Ree at her prime! Paul Simon said that her interpretation was one of the best he has ever heard. I agree.

Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand are the two most influential female singers of their generation, so they deserve the right to act "diva-ish." They got the talent and legacy to back it up.

by Anonymousreply 53February 17, 2014 4:38 PM

God Bless, Eric Braeden.

by Anonymousreply 54February 17, 2014 5:11 PM

Remember when she acted like such an asshole because Beyoncé referred to Tina Turner as "the queen?"

by Anonymousreply 55February 17, 2014 6:49 PM

R43, Aretha has never seen herself as others see her. Which accounts for her many unfortunate wardrobe choices. But I love her.

A lot of people are under the mistaken impression that Aretha was part of Motown. She was not. She gained prominence as the lead singer in the church choir at her father's church. She was a young teenager when she started out. Daddy, and later, her nasty-assed husband Ted White, "managed" her career.

There was no way Rev. Franklin would've ever allowed Barry Gordy and the Motown people to take over his daughter and her career. Motown was notorious for imposing an iron hand over it's stable of performers. They taught them how to sit, stand, walk, perform, speak, dress, and certainly decided what they would sing and how they would sing it.

That wasn't going to happen to Aretha. She signed with Columbia Records and she even went mainstream once she was established and released standards like "If Ever I would Leave You" complete with string accompaniment.

It wasn't until years later that she sang with some of the Motown people now and then, mostly because they were all close friends. They partied together, but in the early years contractual obligations prevented them for performing together in public.

If you really want to treat yourself to the magnificent voice she had back in the late 60's early 70's, go to You Tube and look for Aretha singing If Ever I would Leave You. It'll make you weep. Total emotional experience. Gorgeous.

by Anonymousreply 56February 18, 2014 3:42 PM

R47 I sing everybody into a corner, even Frank. Only Nippy was not afraid of me.

by Anonymousreply 57March 29, 2014 9:38 PM

I don't thin she ever bettered "Rescue Me"

by Anonymousreply 58March 29, 2014 9:46 PM

There's actually quite a bit of dirt in a good biography of CL, titled "Singing in a Strange Land". It reveals that CL Franklin knocked up a 13 year old girl at his church in Detroit. It denies that CL impregnated Arethan, while mentioning that there are rumors that Sam Cooke fathered at least one of Aretha's sons.

The family cooperated with the author, so it may be a case of limited hangout, but I've only heard about him chasing after young girls, not young boys. Maybe he was bi though.

by Anonymousreply 59March 29, 2014 9:55 PM

'She EEEEET the poo poo'

by Anonymousreply 60March 29, 2014 10:00 PM

Rescue Me was a Fontella Bass hit. I don't know if Aretha covered it later, but that's who I remember.

by Anonymousreply 61March 29, 2014 10:03 PM

I love Aretha in the Got to be Real series.

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by Anonymousreply 62March 29, 2014 10:24 PM

Aretha shades Patti for real (takes a while to load)

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by Anonymousreply 63March 29, 2014 10:30 PM

R63 - Oooh - that was shady, Heifer! Sha-dy!

by Anonymousreply 64March 29, 2014 10:35 PM

LMAO at R63's link!!!! BaaaaaBy, you can't tell me Hateretha isn't the queen of shade with that move! She did a royal "don't-touch-me-bitch" gesture on Ms. Patti.

by Anonymousreply 65March 29, 2014 10:41 PM

For you R61

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by Anonymousreply 66March 29, 2014 10:42 PM

Even better

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by Anonymousreply 67March 29, 2014 10:48 PM

[all posts by tedious, racist idiot removed.]

by Anonymousreply 68March 29, 2014 11:48 PM

This was my introduction to a new pop singer named Aretha Franklin. I love that she goes off a few times near the end. What a voice.

After several of these type of records, she disappeared for a while and the next time I heard her name on the radio was when she was demanding some "Respect." Atlantic records had got her to sign a contract and hooked her up with producers who knew exactly how to record her and with what musicians she needed to have backing her.

History followed.

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by Anonymousreply 69March 30, 2014 2:57 AM

Oh snap, R63, that was her shady majesty serving some royal nastiness. Patti probably had a hidden water bottle just waiting to douse that bitch.

by Anonymousreply 70March 30, 2014 3:11 AM

Thanks, R66, that's an entirely different song. Never heard it before. But the Fontella Bass recording from 1965 is listed as well. That's the song I thought you meant.

by Anonymousreply 71March 30, 2014 3:15 AM

I'm curious of the child that Aretha hid under her titatys, was it a girl and born sept 6th 1967 if so let me know, cause my sister Maryann use to taje ne to her house wheb I was 4 and 5 she could be my mom, I dont' believe the womab that raised me was my real mother I suppose to be the 11th and last child I don't look like any of them, and im treated differently my half brother told ne on my 18th birthday he had something to tell me, but when I remined him he change up, abd on Cherrylawn st in Detroit when one of the 4 tops died and aretha song there I told a fib and saud I was rekated to her when the guard ask her was, I related to her she said yes, Strange, if anyone knew Aretha Franklin in Sept 6th 1967 can u find out if shes my mom, sign Beatrice Robinson, now Mckinney beatrice7390@gmail.com if she us im not mad I would be actually happy!:):):)

by Anonymousreply 72October 28, 2014 3:42 AM

WTF is that mess at R72?

by Anonymousreply 73October 28, 2014 3:46 AM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 74June 17, 2018 11:53 AM

If she us I'm happy too r72

by Anonymousreply 75June 17, 2018 12:42 PM

She could never sing sweet, not even on Angel.

by Anonymousreply 76June 17, 2018 12:48 PM
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by Anonymousreply 77June 17, 2018 1:17 PM

Thanks for alerting everyone Lipstick Alley is black.

by Anonymousreply 78June 17, 2018 4:37 PM

I shudder to think what the view of that dress was from the front, R77.

by Anonymousreply 79June 17, 2018 6:06 PM

For r79:

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by Anonymousreply 80June 18, 2018 10:57 AM

Now my titties are lifted up, buoyant and full, just like the clouds I am now floating on, R80.

And for the last time, Tina NEVER was the queen. Except maybe of the Chittlin' Circuit, I will let her have that. I started on top and stayed there. Caviar & Champagne baby. She pranced around the stage in those torn up, tattered little dresses. I sang in full length mink and diamonds. End of discussion.

by Anonymousreply 81August 16, 2018 2:59 PM
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