Soul icon, Gladys Knight (74), caused mass hysteria with the statement she made about Aretha Franklin early Friday. As she attended the Queen of Soul’s funeral service, she dropped a bombshell -or so we thought- with a “disease” confession that had us all spooked. However, she has since recanted said confession. Now the mass hysteria has transformed into mass confusion.
Gladys Knight’s Prior “Disease” Confession
As Gladys entered Greater Grace Temple for Aretha’s funeral, she did a brief interview with WDIV TV, about her beloved friend and the last days she’d spent with her. Initially everything was all good with Knight’s interview. She referred to Aretha as a “queen” and “my sister.” Then came the bombshell drop about Gladys having the “same disease” as Ms. Franklin:
“The last time I talked to her, we were at the same hotel and we didn’t know it,” recalled Gladys Knight, detailing that they soon “got to talking and everything and at that time we shared the fact that we had the same disease.”
‘WAIT…run that back Gladys?!!’ was pretty much everyone’s reaction to Knight’s low-key “disease” admission. Why? Because as most have heard, Aretha succumbed to complications from pancreatic cancer. Thus, the general assumption, by most fans, was that Gladys had just revealed that she too had and/or has pancreatic cancer.
Soon as the interview hit the internet, sadness and shock spread across these social media streets quicker than Gladys could get a midnight train to Georgia…and understandably so. Fans were panting, crying, and worrying because we all thought that we were about to lose another soul icon. Here are just a few of the comments:
ohmb****: “No! oh my Jesus. Prayers up for sustaining the Empress, Gladys Knight.”
LaVerne9*******: “GOD R FATHER PLZ STEP N & HEAL, ONLY U CAN DO IT FATHER. FATHER U PROMISE NEVER 2 LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US. WE NEED U FATHER!”
jazzy_ja*****: “praying for you Aunty Gladys”
@klou*****: “Oh Lord no, the devil is a LIAR! Sending up prayers of healing for Gladys. 🙏🙏”
barbre*****: “No.. @MsGladysKnight On my knees praying, can’t stand to loose another icon….”
Knight Recants Statement, But…
Hours after Gladys caused an emotional frenzy on live television with her “disease” revelation, she recanted her statement via her publicist, who denied everything on behalf of Ms. Knight. Here’s what he told Detroit News:
Jay D. Schwartz, her publicist, told The Detroit News on Friday afternoon that Knight “does not have pancreatic cancer. She is fine.”
When further probed about what exactly Gladys was admitting to having during her interview, Schwartz told Detroit News that he has no clue what “disease” Gladys is referring to.
Not sure how such a major “disease” confession was supposedly mistakenly given by Gladys Knight. However, we truly hope and pray that her publicist’s claim about her health is correct, because we want to have the soul legend around for many, more years to come.
