Ha! It’s the one and only Aretha Franklin. Her extreme phobia of planes is really real and word on the Old School curb is that she’s even sought therapy for it, but I guess those sessions haven’t been super successful for her because like I said, as of last week, she was in route to a performance in Chicago and ended up being stranded on the side of the highway…and of course she probably refused to catch a flight to make up for her lost time.
Here’s what happened according to Associated Press:
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Aretha Franklin’s spokesman said the Queen of Soul was grateful and exclaimed “Hallelujah!” after the state of Illinois helped out when her tour bus broke down on the way to Chicago and left her stranded along a highway.
Transmission problems stopped the bus around 1:20 a.m. Monday a few miles from downtown on eastbound Interstate 290. Franklin’s assistants started calling car services to transport her from the side of the road, but they had no luck.
“All were closed or had no vehicles because of the late hour and the holiday weekend,” Franklin spokesman Clarence Waldron said.
That’s when the Illinois State Police stepped in.
Three units from ISP, along with three from the Illinois Department of Transportation, drove Franklin and her entourage to their hotel. A towing company assigned to the stretch of highway moved the stalled tour bus.
Franklin’s reaction? Waldron said the singer said, “God was right on time,” and added a couple of hallelujahs to her chorus of praise for Illinois’ quick response.
No special treatment was involved, said State Police spokesman Matt Boerwinkle. Disabled vehicles can be dangerous, so handling breakdowns is a priority, he said.
“The queen certainly got some respect from Illinois. R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” Waldron said, quoting a lyric.
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