NEW YORK (AP) — Aretha Franklin won’t say what caused her latest health problems, but says she’s had a “miraculous” recovery and is looking forward to performing soon.
“My treatments are going very well. My last CAT scan, my doctor at the CAT scan and everyone who sees this says that this is miraculous, absolutely miraculous,” Franklin said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.
“I was talking to Smokey Robinson, my oldest best friend Smokey, talking about the fact that some doctors are not very well acquainted with faith healing. And Smokey said, ‘Well, they just don’t know who your healer is.’”
The 71-year-old Queen of Soul has canceled several concerts and public appearances over the last few months due to unspecified health concerns. On Monday, she said she was unable to personally accept an award honoring her work with civil rights from Major League Baseball on Saturday in Chicago.
When asked directly what her health concern was, Franklin declined to go into specifics: “I’m not one to go into my personal health things.”
But she said it was very common to women and “I just had to deal with it.” She said it was partly related to the health concern she had about three years ago that led her to cancel shows at that time.
Franklin acknowledged that she had worries about her health.
“Anytime you have cancellations you should be concerned. But all prayer is good, and keep me in your prayers until I am 100 percent, not 85, and back onstage,” she said.
