The Queen of Soul Grammy Speech

[abfan]

Very Beautiful and clear. Hopefully u c see it and they didnt take it down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APGCgdniOL0an

[miss_lish]

Looking good, gal!

[paladin]

thanx, had missed this..

[marxthespot_]

She lost weight...I know that this is a side effect of cancer treatment, but she looks great. I hope she also gave up smoking...Long live The Queen!

[Roberta75]

Very Beautiful and clear. Hopefully u c see it and they didnt take it down

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APGCgdniOL0an

God Bless Miss Franklin. She looks and sound great.

[jobeterob]

I could not believe how good she looks here; she looks better here than she has in 20 years or so.

However, that kind of weight loss is astonishing; you can't do that without something either being very wrong or without some medical intervention; I didn't think she looked very well at the basketball game but others thought she looked great.

In a year or so, we will know what the story is here.

[luke]

I thought she quit smoking in the 90s? She looks good tho her face is a bit gaunt.

[reese]

She quit smoking in 1993. After that was when her weight ballooned. Glad to see her looking so healthy now.

[jobeterob]

Posted online; no idea of it's accuracy; if true, it's great.

Actually, Aretha is fine. She had fat reduction surgery. She did say repeatedly that she did not have pancreatic cancer as was previously reported. [[Trust me, this is from a very credible source).



However, since she has not made a definitive statement about the fat reduction surgery......it has left most people thinking that she is indeed ill. [[Myself including.......initially).


In my humble opinion, it was a little disingenuous that she allowed the Grammy tribute to happen without making some reference to the surgery. [[I don't understand why so many people who have that surgery seem to not want to reveal that fact. I am thinking Star Jones. No one would hold that against Aretha, because she was clearly at an unhealthy weight. Too bad she doesn't come clean). I know it is not her fault that the rumors have taken a life of their own. However, making a simple statement would go along way to alleviate unnecessary......worry.

[sunshineonacloudyday]

I still don't believe Aretha had gastric bypass surgery. Remember she had severe abdominal pain and was hospitalized with a "mystery ailment" a month or so prior to having the mystery surgical procedure. It doesn't make sense a surgeon would perform an elective surgery such as gastric bypass on an elderly patient who'd recently been ill and hospitalized.

...Anyway, Miss Franklin looks great, God Bless her, and I'll be in line for a ticket to see her if she comes out my way.

[midnightman]

I still don't believe Aretha had gastric bypass surgery. Remember she had severe abdominal pain and was hospitalized with a "mystery ailment" a month or so prior to having the mystery surgical procedure. It doesn't make sense a surgeon would perform an elective surgery such as gastric bypass on an elderly patient who'd recently been ill and hospitalized.

...Anyway, Miss Franklin looks great, God Bless her, and I'll be in line for a ticket to see her if she comes out my way.

She hinted she had back pains last year and when she went to the doctor, the doctor was like "Aretha, this is serious" so she took his word and did what was necessarily. Her face does look gaunt. Other than that, she does seem well. Aretha actually is little now:

http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/lifeline-live/2011/02/13/arethafranklinx-large.jpg

She doesn't look like the overweight person she was for more than ten years.

[midnightman]

Aretha did say that she plans to have a taped special at Radio City in May and will start her tour [[in Detroit) the following month at Fox Theater [[I believe between June 13-15).

Relating to Aretha, this song has become my favorite now:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmtey7aSVKY

[jobeterob]

The transformation has been totally AMAZING!

I have read that she is too old for the bypass surgery. But who knows; I'm sure she could talk a Dr. [[a la Michael Jackson's Doctor) into anything!

[reese]

I hope it was just weight reduction surgery. The reports otherwise were so widespread, from the network news programs to the tabloids. Even Patti LaBelle was quoted as saying it was pancreatic cancer. Of course, Aretha has denied this from the start, so I hope she's telling the truth.

[topdiva1]

The transformation has been totally AMAZING!

I have read that she is too old for the bypass surgery. But who knows; I'm sure she could talk a Dr. [[a la Michael Jackson's Doctor) into anything!


The truth of the matter us that The Queen of Soul is ill - while she has the God given right to say whatever she wants - you all have eyes. She was well made up and put together - shot with special attention to detail and the best lighting you could ask for - but - Areatha Franklin while looking well - really is not in the best of health.

[abfan]

The truth of the matter us that The Queen of Soul is ill

Well the judge has spoken...I see a pattern w/u.U like the bash the ladies dont u hmmmmmmm
How is she suppose to look at this age after dropping so much weight this quickly

[jobeterob]

I think common sense is creeping through in most of these posts; that kind of weight loss is almost unimaginable and impossible. Throughout this publicity and when seeing these pictures, I've been very apprehensive that in the end, we will be told Aretha is gravely ill.

Also, if you have the gastric surgery, I think you'd want to get back out there as soon as possible and show off your newfound looks; I know of a couple of people that had to have the bypass reversed.

[marv2]

Aretha having some fun with Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body". This is why we love her........


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVawmqtn818&feature=related

[midnightman]

From what I'm gathering, Aretha's age was not qualified for gastric bypass so I don't think she got her stomach stapled. It looks to me as if she had beriartic surgery [[weight loss reduction surgery), which I guess is a little different from gastric and you can get it at any age. Just saying.

Anyways, Aretha is looking forward to the future, I'll post her recent interview on a new thread. She talks about returning onstage in Buffalo at the end of May and releasing her new album in the beginning of that month.

[midnightman]

I think common sense is creeping through in most of these posts; that kind of weight loss is almost unimaginable and impossible. Throughout this publicity and when seeing these pictures, I've been very apprehensive that in the end, we will be told Aretha is gravely ill.

Also, if you have the gastric surgery, I think you'd want to get back out there as soon as possible and show off your newfound looks; I know of a couple of people that had to have the bypass reversed.

Aretha's weight loss wasn't from gastric bypass surgery and I don't know for now that it's cancer [[since that's still speculated) but I think the surgery she had causes you to lose weight especially around the face and body areas as if you lost it through actual exercise. If that's to be believed, then it was a life-saving surgery. At Aretha's weight that she was prior to the surgery and prior to probably 2009 [[she did begin to lose weight around '09), she'd would've probably been dead by now.

For now I'm gonna be optimistic that this is the surgery she had and it's not because she has any form of cancer. If it was for pancreatic cancer, it would've been the Whipple surgery.

[topdiva1]

^ You are right let us all be very optimistic, and pray for RERE - she has delighted so many for so many years.