Aretha Franklin Gravely Ill, in Detroit hospital, with pancreatic cancer

Many well-known individuals took to Twitter after they learned that Aretha Franklin, 76, is gravely ill in a Detroit hospital with pancreatic cancer, and her family is asking for prayers.

Political strategist Donna Brazile tweeted, “Please pray for this amazing national treasure.”

MOJO Magazine tweeted, “Saying a little prayer for Aretha Franklin.”

Detroit writer Tariq Naheed tweeted, “Grim Reaper if you go to Detroit, isn’t there another musician you can visit instead of the Queen?”

The legendary singer is surrounded by family and people close to her in Detroit, and reportedly hospitalized, according to news reports. Franklin has fought pancreatic cancer for eight years, Richard Arnold told Good Morning Britain on Aug. 13.

“She is asking for your prayers at this time,” WDIV-TV reporter Evrod Cassimy, a friend of the Franklin family, said in a tweet.

The singer’s management team said in a statement in March that she had been ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest.

Aretha – who first toured when she was just 14 – denied she had pancreatic cancer in 2011, although she did admit having a tumor removed.

The star has previously struggled with alcoholism, obesity and a heavy smoking habit, and all three of Aretha’s brothers and sisters, including her manager Cecil Franklin, died of cancer in previous years.

A biopic starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin is scheduled to begin filming in 2019.

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