A church on Detroit's west side held a prayer service for Aretha Franklin early Wednesday morning.
- Detroit church where Aretha Franklin's father once pastored to hold prayer service for iconic singer
The service was held at New Bethel Baptist Church on Linwood Street. The church is where her father pastored and where she got her start singing gospel.
Franklin has been gravely ill and is in hospice care at her home, according to CNN.
The soul singer has been dogged by reports of failing health for years and appeared frail in recent photos, but she has kept her struggles private.
In February of 2017, Franklin announced that she would stop touring, but she continued to book concerts. Earlier this year, she canceled a pair of performances, including at the New Orleans Jazz Fest, on doctor's orders, according to Rolling Stone. In 2010, she was forced to cancel to scheduled performances due to fractured ribs and abdominal pain.
Franklin's career spans six decades. In 1960, she signed with her first major record label. By 1968, Franklin was an established soul chart-topper with hits like "Respect," "Chain of Fools" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."
