However, he did have an illegitimate child with a 16-year-old girl when he was 18. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. In fact, while appearing on TV documentary. (Answered 2023), What Are Cat and Dog Paws Adapted for? Etta James explained to Ritz, Ted was supposed to be the slickest pimp in Detroit. Ad Choices, Understanding the singers early heartbreaks helps you understand how she was able to sing with such emotional intensity, says, The 42 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now. These four tracks, plus Franklins version of There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood, were also included on the 1956 J-V-B compilation record, Spirituals. My parents relationship was stormy andmy father had a violent temperId also be lying if I didnt admit that we certainly knew about my fathers reputation as a ladies man. Reflecting on her weight loss, the singer said: "I have diabetes, really, from years ago when I was really badly and grossly overweight. But it was later reported in one of her handwritten wills, discovered in 2019, that Clarence's father was Edward Jordan - whom she went on to have son Edward with in 1957. Aretha joined her father's traveling gospel ministry at age 12. Aretha herself never confirmed or denied the rumors, and her father always refused to comment on the matter. She first became pregnant at the age of 12 and gave birth to her first child, named Clarence after her father, on January 28, 1955. Aretha continued to raise her sons as a single mother, and she did an amazing job. Liquor was just making her sloppy," Ruth said of the star, whose hit Respect topped the charts in 1968, just as her personal life was imploding. The details of a life, a home, and a community ordered by sexual . Perhaps she warmed to the idea after learning that the Mother Mary namechecked in the song wasnt a biblical reference but a lyrical tribute to Paul McCartneys late mum, Mary. So, the answer to the question is still a mystery. Clarence Franklin Aretha first became pregnant at the age of 12, and gave birth to her first child, named Clarence after her father, American Baptist minister CL Franklin, in 1955. It's been three years since she died from cancer, but her four children are still arguing over her estate. Tommy and Wilson told Vanity Fair that they were following Arethas lead in terms of the vagueness around the paternity of her first son. The father of Franklin's first child remains a mystery. She originally claimed the father was a schoolmate, yet in the wills she reportedly had handwritten, she refers to Edward Sr. as his father. Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist who achieved commercial success and critical acclaim throughout her six-decade career. But instead of letting Aretha stay home to take care of the childthat responsibility fell to Arethas paternal grandmotherC.L. And early on in her career she was hit by the tabloidsthere were stories of her being a victim of domestic violence and she didnt like that. But inside the church, a lot of the music was created by gay men.". She died aged 76 in August 2018 from pancreatic cancer, leaving four sons. Only time will tell if the Queen of Soul's final wishes were granted. Director Liesl Tommy Writers Tracey Scott Wilson (screenplay by) Callie Khouri (story by) Stars [Spoilers Ahead! However, this brief encounter occurred in 1954, when Franklin was just a teenager, and not on the eve of her Columbia Records deal in 1960. He had fathered the child with Mildred Jennings, a 12-year-old member of his congregation, when he was aged 25. "When it came to pure sex, they were wilder than me and that's saying something. Father of Aretha Franklin's first child Clarence How Aretha Franklin's tragic life made her a demanding diva Courtney B. Vance and Shaian Jordan on playing C.L. He is believed to havewritten a number of songs, including some recorded by his mother. Mary J. Blige makes a memorable appearance in Respect as vocalist Dinah Washington, whose string of 1950s jazz hits made her one of the most popular black recording artists of the era. In 1948, when Aretha was six, Barbara movedtaking Vaughn with her to Buffalo, New York, but leaving C.L. Did Aretha Franklin Have A Child By Her Father There is no definitive answer to this question, as Aretha Franklin has never publicly acknowledged having a child by her father. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Franklin gave birth to a son, named Clarence, in 1955. Arethas father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, was a nationally known Baptist preacher and civil rights activist who, in spite of his religious commitments, impregnated a teenager at his church,. Aretha Franklin's personal life was far from stable. Franklin never married, but she was in a long-term relationship with her manager, William Warden, from the 1960s until his death in 1988. Home. But how many kids did Aretha have and where are they now? Scuba Certification; Private Scuba Lessons; Scuba Refresher for Certified Divers; Try Scuba Diving; Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox) He also performed as the opening act for artists such as Seal and INXS. She gave birth to him at 12. ', Marlon Wayans and Hudson, center, in Respect., How True Is Respect? Aretha Franklin was pregnant four times, and she gave birth to four children. In March 2021, it was reported that Teddy and Clarence had filed a fourth will that they claim will split their late mothers $80 million estate among all four children. Aretha Franklin is a legendary figure in the world of music, and she has achieved massive success both as a solo artist and as a member of The Queen of Soul. Myleene Klass According to biographer David Ritz, the father of her oldest son Clarence was believed to be Donald Burke, a boy from school. She originally claimed the father was a schoolmate, yet in the . The Queen: Aretha Franklin For years, rumors circulated that an adult family friend was responsible an allegation the family has repeatedly denied. was her baby's birth father, but she did make her BFF baby Katherine's . Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Her first child, a son named Clifford, was born when she was just 15 years old. Her fantasy is to eliminate the competition.". He was named after her father - American Baptist minister and civil rights activist Clarence LaVaughn Franklin. No, Aretha Franklin did not have a child by her father. He was also a close friend of Malcolm X. Named Clarence, his father has never been known for certain. In fact, Aretha had four children with four different partners over the course of her life. She has achieved massive success in her career, and she is also a mother of three sons. always recognized that his kids had inherited his psychological force and did everything he could to encourage their ambition. Erma explained: "It was also understood that our future as women our education and our career would not be compromised because of these early births.". When did Aretha Franklin have her first child? The singer, who passed away today lived a turbulent and dramatic life before her death at 76. When the singer-songwriter commissioned a memoir, 1999s From These Roots, it largely glossed over traumatic milestones in the performers life, including the death of Arethas mother, when the singer was only 10; Arethas pregnancy at 12 years old; her first marriage; and her alleged battles with alcohol. In those days I had a thing for orgies, but I had to be the only cat in the room with two or three chicks," he told Ritz. "She was afraid she wasn't good enough as a singer, pretty enough as a woman, or devoted enough as a mother. Her first son Clarence was born on January 28, 1955. Aretha first became pregnant at the age of 12, and gave birth to her first child, named Clarence after her father, American Baptist minister CL Franklin, in 1955. As of August 2019, Clarence was living in a group home outside Detroit, but his current whereabouts and occupation are unknown. At the time, she was living with her father in Buffalo, New York, and she became pregnant after having sex with a boy from her neighborhood. Related Stories Still relatively a child herself, Aretha handed over a lot of the childcare responsibility for her sons to her grandmother Rachel and older sister Erma while she pursued her music career. Her parents had a difficult marriage due to her father's infidelities, and they eventually separated in 1948. Franklin's youngest child, Kecalf Cunningham, was born in 1970. Among them are Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin, two multi-talented studio gurus whose production, arrangement and engineering work was a crucial part of Franklins late Sixties Atlantic Records golden years. Little is known about first-born Clarence but he reportedly had the least musical interest of her children. Aretha had a close relationship with her father, and she often credited him as a major influence on her career. He also wanted to be named an estate representative alongside his cousin. Audra McDonald, Forrest Whitaker, and Mary J. Blige pop up in the starry trailer for the film about the life and times of the Queen of Soul. Als u niet wilt dat wij en onze partners cookies en persoonsgegevens voor deze aanvullende doeleinden gebruiken, klik dan op 'Alles weigeren'. According to biographer David Ritz, the father of her oldest son Clarence was believed to be Donald Burke, a boy from school. Two years after Clarence's arrival, Aretha had another son at age 14. Franklin. He was named after her father - American Baptist minister and civil rights activist Clarence LaVaughn Franklin. Theodore White was Arethas first husband, and they were married when she was just 18 years old. How old was Aretha Franklin when she got pregnant? It was revealed in her handwritten wills that she had made "special provisions" for Clarence, now in his 60s, who has undisclosed special needs. Franklin and Washington were slightly more cordial, but things werent always easygoing between them. In 1956, when Franklin was 14 years old, she was recorded singing live at her fathers New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit by the local independent label J-V-B Records. In a 2008 interview with Rolling Stone, she said simply, He was a friend of my fathers.. Citing no questions asked the woman who pled no contest wants $500,000 for returning Gagas pets. As Aretha became more miserable in her marriage, she allegedly looked to alcohol to numb her pain. Aretha Franklin, in full Aretha Louise Franklin, (born March 25, 1942, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.died August 16, 2018, Detroit, Michigan), American singer who defined the golden age of soul music of the 1960s. In 2011, the former was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. All rights reserved. The identity of Clarence's father has never been revealed, and Aretha has always refused to identify him publicly. She had a tough childhood, Ritz explained to People in 2018, shortly after the icons death. Now in his 50s, Kecalf is a Christian rapper. Edward Jordan is the father of two of Franklin's sons. For years, everybody believed that Clarence's dad was Donald Burke, a young man Aretha knew from her school years. The story continued: last yearArethas husband, Ted White, roughed her up in public at Atlantas Regency Hyatt House Hotel. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Her recordings in the 1960s, including I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You), Respect, Chain of Fools, and Baby I Love You, helped define the genre of soul music. Although her singing talent is undeniable, Aretha's business sense was lacking and she ended up in trouble after frequently failing to turn up for gigs or forgetting to pay bills. The first of Aretha Franklin's sons was named after her father, the famous Baptist minister, CL Franklin. Meanwhile, plagued by cripplingly low self-esteem, her insecurity prompted Aretha's jealously of other female singers, including Roberta Flack, Barbra Streisand, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and Natalie Cole. Franklins sons Clarence, Edward, Ted Jr., and Kecalf were all born to different fathers. Franklin, father of Aretha Franklin, died Feb. 11. made such a strong impact on fellow icon and godmother, Aretha Franklin. Not much is known about Clarence's life, but he is said to have had the least musical interest of her four sons. Reports of such a relationship have been debunked as false by her family and her estate. Theodore White, the father of her first child, was Arethas first husband. This music took me all the way back to the living room at home when she was six and seven years of age, he told the congregation. She is proof that no matter where you come from or what challenges you face, you can achieve great things if you put your mind to it. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time In From These Roots, Aretha reflected, I cannot describe the pain, nor will I try. The Queen of Soul added that she remembered how she sat in tearsfor a long time after returning from her mothers burial. The child of Franklin and another of her former managers Ken Cunningham, his name is a portmanteau of his father's first. They were in discussions for more than two years, but she fell "very ill" before she could sign the papers. Ahead, the real-life tragedies that fueled Arethas musicwith commentary by Tommy and Wilson. James Morrison and Nelly Furtado It was not the first such incident. The answer is yes, she did have children. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. When Franklin learns that her old family friend is in the audience at one of her New York City club dates, she decides to honor Washington with a rendition of her signature song, Unforgettable. Unfortunately, her attempt at a tribute badly misfires. Saving Private Ryan star Tom Sizemore dies aged 61 after suffering brain aneurysm, Kim Kardashian shows off her real hips and butt in unedited new pics, Inside Josh Duggar's lonely 35th birthday in prison solitary confinement, Honey Boo Boo, 17, & boyfriend, 21, found with gun & drugs in car in arrest, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Soul legend Aretha Franklin, who had four sons, died in 2018 aged 76, Aretha Franklin's eldest son Clarence was named after her father, who was a Baptist minister, American soul singer Aretha Franklin passes aged 76 following her battle with cancer. Willie Wilkerson was Arethas fourth and final husband, and they were married when she was 30 years old. Clarence Franklin. Clarence Franklins father is an African American Baptist minister from Mississippi. After three conflicting handwritten wills were found in Aretha's Detroit home, a fourth one has now been filed. Posted on Last updated: February 22, 2023. Raising a child is never easy. If this rumor is true, it would also explain why Aretha was never particularly close to her sister Carolyn. Celeb obsessed? Did Aretha Franklins father have a child with a 12-year-old? Aretha first became pregnant at the age of 12, and gave birth to her first child, named Clarence after her father, American Baptist minister CL Franklin, in 1955. Franklin, sisters Carolyn and Erma, and brother Clarence. He had fathered the child with Mildred Jennings, a 12-year-old member of his congregation, when he was aged 25. The couple divorced when Aretha was just 18, but they remained on good terms. The book was so sanitized that its ghostwriter, David Ritz, eventually admitted his disappointment, claiming it contained enormous gaps and oversights. About 15 years later, Ritz convinced Franklin to let him write a more honest biography, 2014s Respectbolstered by interviews with Franklins family members and contemporaries like Ray Charles, Billy Preston, and Luther Vandross. Jamie Lee Curtis Is Both Weepy and Giddy About Her First Oscar Nomination, Dionne Warwick Says Burt Bacharachs Death Feels Like Losing a Family Member. and was introduced to adulthood early, perhaps unsurprisingly given his controversial lifestyle. (2023), Are Catalpa Trees Poisonous to Dogs? In her latest will, Aretha requested a trust to be established for Clarence and most of her assets to be divided among the rest of her sons. How old was Aretha when she had her second baby?