*A nephew of R&B icon Aretha Franklin is disputing reports that the 18-time Grammy winner has only days to live.
TMZ reported Monday (Aug. 13) that sources close to the family claimed doctors informed them “today (Monday) is the day “Aretha will pass.” ”
On Saturday, veteran reporter Roger Friedman first broke the news that Franklin was “gravely ill” and in a Detroit hospital.
But Aretha’s nephew Tim Franklin says… don’t believe the hype.
“We believe she’ll pull through it, she believes she’ll pull through it, and that’s the important thing,” Tim told PEOPLE.
OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Aretha Franklin: Singer’s Family Confirm Queen of Soul is ‘Gravely Ill’ in Detroit
“She’s alert, laughing, teasing, able to recognize people,” he tells PEOPLE. “I saw her a week ago Friday and we talked for about 45 minutes to an hour,” he recalled.
“My brother was there on Saturday and she was alert, talking, laughing, joking. She’s watching TV, so God forbid she sees all of this ‘Aretha’s dead,’ so I don’t want to dampen her spirits on that.”
Tim added that family members are “trying to keep her spirits up and go from there.”
Detroit news anchor Evrod Cassimy said he spoke to Aretha on Monday. “Just got a chance to speak to Aretha Franklin. She is resting and surrounded by close friends and family,” he tweeted.
Franklin, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, last performed in November 2017 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York. Her final public performance was in Philadelphia last August.
And just 48 hours after Roger Friedman claimed Franklin was deathly ill, he reported that the queen of soul and music mogul Clive Davis were planning an all-star tribute concert scheduled for November — and Aretha is set to be in attendance.
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