Folks this is what we do, we blog and you decide! The media is in overdrive today about Aretha Franklin missing her god daughter’s funeral yet performing that same night despite leg spasms. Well, ReRe heard all the talk and blasted mainstream with this statement Wednesday afternoon…
“Extra TV, the New York Post and Newsday (New York) should stop the BS. Cissy Houston and I have been longtime friends for almost 50 years. I have four invitations and parking passes that were sent to me for the funeral. Extra TV, the New York Post and Newsday (New York) are more interested in sensationalism and negative speculations than the truth. People are getting their information from the wrong source. The intelligent and the thoughtful thing to do would be to respect and have some sensitivity to the moment. If you don’t know how, at least try. Cissy does not need ridiculous speculation and neither do I—particularly at this time. Also, with respect to the Today Show, my entire statement was pretaped. However, the Today Show did not air the part of my statement, which said, “This is no reflection on Cissy or Nippy’s upbringing.” Knowing Cissy as well as I do, I know Whitney left home right and properly. I was generalizing and it was a well intended statement for any young adult coming into the music industry. I was not speaking of anyone specifically.”
These reports kicked off after the 69 year old Queen of Soul was scheduled to perform at Whitney Houston’s funeral on Saturday. But Franklin said in a statement she had “every intention” of being at the service, but, “I had terrible leg spasms and locked leg muscles until 4:00 a.m. this morning following my concert last night, which I’ve been having for the last few days. I feel it necessary and very important to stay off my leg today as much as possible until concert time this evening. My heart goes out to my dear friend Cissy, Dionne, Bobbi Kristina and the rest of the family. May God keep them all. Aretha & the Franklin Family.”
Franklin did perform at Radio City on Saturday night, even “dancing and pacing the stage barefoot.
Since then, some reports suggest that the REAL reason why she didn’t show up was because Franklin was un-invited to the funeral because she pissed off Cissy Houston, Whitney’s mom, with remarks she made on the Today show last week.
Franklin told Al Roker, “Parents really have to talk to their children before they leave home. They have to make sure when they leave home, they have all the right things. She left home with all the right things, but she just kind of lost her way along the way.”
