As stories regarding the declining health of Aretha Franklin continue to surface in the news, news of a tribute concert dedicated to the Queen of Soul has been confirmed. The single-date event, titled Clive Davis Presents: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin, will take place Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The concert has been in the works since June, before word in recent days that Franklin is “gravely ill” and has now been placed in hospice care. Various reports on Monday noted that “death was imminent.”
As of now, the only announced participant in the event is singer Jennifer Hudson, who is set to play Franklin in a biopic for Sony/Tri-Star. However, Franklin’s signature songs have been covered by many prominent singers.
Watch Hudson perform “Respect”
Franklin canceled all planned concerts earlier this year due to doctors’ orders. She had undergone surgery for an undisclosed illness in 2010, denying rumors at that time that she was suffering from pancreatic cancer.
Even if Franklin’s health situation does improve, it is unlikely that she would be able to attend this or any other future public functions.
In recent days, the Queen of Soul was visited by numerous friends, including Stevie Wonder, Reverend Jesse Jackson and even ex-husband Glynn Turman.
Related: A 1972 “lost” interview with Columbia Records’ talent scout John Hammond on signing Aretha
R&B power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z dedicated a show Monday night in Detroit, Franklin’s hometown, to the ailing star.
Watch Adele cover a Franklin favorite
News on Franklin’s personal web page has not been updated since late March.
Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 was the first to report the news of Franklin’s deteriorating condition, when he wrote that Franklin “is gravely ill in Detroit. The family is asking for prayers and privacy. Aretha is surrounded by family and people close to her.”
Franklin’s place in music history will be assured. Since she first placed a single on the Billboard chart in 1961 (“Won’t Be Long,” on Columbia Records), she’s racked up an amazing 88 chart singles, including, of course, such timeless hits as “Respect,” “Chain of Fools” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” with legendary producer Jerry Wexler for Atlantic Records in the ’60s.
Twenty of her singles topped the R&B chart. The first: 1967’s “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You”; the last: 1985’s “Freeway of Love.”
Franklin scored 17 Top 10 pop hits, including nine for Atlantic from 1967-1968. She’s also had 46 chart albums and has won every conceivable award and honor possible, playing for presidents, winning an armload of Grammys, early induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honors, National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Watch Mariah Carey join Aretha on “Chain of Fools”
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