Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul and a decided gay icon, has announced she is ready to get married, to longtime beau William “Willie” Wilkerson. Franklin is a singer and songwriter that Rolling Stone labeled “the ninth greatest artist of all time.” Franklin performed at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009.
“Franklin told The Associated Press in a statement Monday that the pair was considering a summer wedding, perhaps in Miami Beach, Fla. The Queen of Soul wants to follow the ceremony with a reception on a private yacht,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported today:
The 69-year-old jokes, “No, I’m not pregnant.”
Franklin didn’t say whether the pair had gotten engaged and a representative didn’t immediately reply to a message seeking clarification.
Last year, Franklin performed “I Will Always Love You,†“I Say a Little Prayer,†and “Respect,â€Â at the wedding of Bill White and Bryan Eure, who were married by Prop. 8 attorney David Boies, according to The Advocate.
Franklin was given the Presidential medal of Freedom in 2005.
Wikipedia adds:
She has won 18 competitive Grammys and two honorary Grammys. She has 20 No.1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and two No.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “Respect” (1967) and “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” (1987), a duet with George Michael. Since 1961, she has scored a total of 45 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. She also has the most million-selling singles (14) of any female artist. Between 1967 and 1982 she had 10 No.1 R&B albums—more than any other female artist. In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
This will be Franklin’s third marriage.
Image via Wikipedia by Ryan Arrowsmith.