Soul icon Aretha Franklin has been discharged from a Detroit hospital where she underwent successful surgery for reported pancreatic cancer.
Franklin, 68, has not made public her diagnosis, and a spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment.
“I’ve been at home for almost three days now,” Franklin said in a statement. “My family and friends who brought me home are taking great care of me. I also have a private nurse who visits on a daily basis.”
The spokeswoman added in the statement that Franklin was “in great spirits.”
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Both the Detroit News and the city’s Fox TV station said this month that Franklin was battling pancreatic cancer, the disease that claimed actor Patrick Swayze last year.
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A monumental figure in American popular music, Franklin dominated the soul landscape during the 1960s and 1970s with such songs as “Think,” “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”
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The daughter of a preacher who was himself a recording legend, Franklin revisited her roots with several acclaimed live gospel albums, including her 1972 Grammy winner “Amazing Grace.”
Despite her obesity and fear of flying, she has performed frequently over the years. But after a brief hospitalization in October, she canceled all appearances for the next six months.
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