Ailing Aretha Franklin Reportedly at ‘Peace With Her Journey’

Aretha Franklin is in good hands as she goes through hospice care.

The 76-year-old soul legend is reportedly under the watchful eye of medical professionals and hospice works as she fights off a serious illness in Detroit, Michigan.

“Doctors are managing the process,” an insider told Entertainment Tonight. “She has been having lucid moments and she is at piece with her journey. She is where she is supposed to be, at home and surround by only love.”

“Aretha has been sick for a long time but didn’t want to share her pain with the world,” the source added. “She has always been a very private person and the last thing she wanted was to reveal this difficult time in her life with her fans. She’s loved her life and in the last year talked so much about her incredible memories. She has earned the title as the Queen of Soul and that is how she wants to be remembered.”

News of the singer’s ill health first broke Monday, with the family asking for prayers as they surrounded her with love and support.

The news comes eight years after the “Respect” singer was first diagnosed with cancer. She made her final performance for an Elton John AIDS Foundation benefit in New York on Nov. 2, 2017. He most recent public performance came in August 2017 at the Mann Center in Philadelphia.

Franklin was scheduled to make two more performances earlier this year, but they were canceled due to health concerns. One show in Newark, New Jersey was scheduled for her birthday. The other was a performance at the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in April. She also had concerts in Boston and Toronto planned for June.

“Aretha Franklin has been ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest completely for at least the next two months,” her management said in a statement to Entertainment Weekly in March. “She is extremely disappointed she cannot perform at this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival as she had expected and hoped to.”

Gwendolyn Quinn, a spokesperson for Franklin, shared that the singer was visited by Stevie Wonder on Tuesday morning. Also, Reverend Jesse Jackson and her ex-husband, Glynn Turman, reportedly will visit sometime Tuesday.

“Aretha Franklin has been the Matriarch of the Franklin family since the passing of all of her siblings,” Quinn told the outlet. “The love she has for her family is above reproach and was evident in the warm smiles she was able to share with her nephew during his very brief visit two weeks ago. She is seriously ill and surrounded by family members who appreciate the outpouring of love and support they have received.”

While many of her close friends and fans aren’t able to visit in-person, they have been sharing “get well” messages and support on social media.

“Sending out prayers to the legend and icon Aretha Franklin. I have never stopped listening to her music since I was a little girl. She will forever be a huge inspiration to my life and career,” singer Alexandra Burke tweeted. “Praying for her recovery.”