Aretha Franklin's family is asking for a little respect.
In response to a National Enquirer report that the Queen of Soul is suffering from pancreatic cancer, her cousin would only say that the ailing diva "is doing better than doctors expected."
Which isn't a denial, unfortunately.
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"She has a long life in front of her and will be back in concert, on stage, late spring or early summer," cousin Brenda Corbett told the Detroit Free-Press. "This girl is doing great and [the media] need to stop [speculating]."
Added sister-in-law Earline Franklin: "Aretha is doing absolutely wonderful. All the prayers and well wishes have supported her and she's doing well."
Having already scrapped six months of her touring schedule, the 18-time Grammy winner underwent surgery for an undisclosed cause last week. Fans held a prayer vigil for the diva in downtown Detroit the night before her operation, which Franklin said afterward was "highly successful."
Meanwhile, a source told the Detroit News that Franklin does have pancreatic cancer, the same condiiton Patrick Swayze suffered from, while the city's Fox 2 News cited a "close relative" in reporting the same thing.
Franklin's rep has not commented on the cancer reports.