mickey65

Really sad news, and it doesn't look good

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/1..._n_793812.html

She's one of my favorite singers. I especially love her old blues stuff she did way back when...

Supermallet

At least she's had a long and fruitful career and will never be forgotten. Still, I hope she pulls through.

TGM

can't spell RESPECT without the Big C I'm afraid.

Numanoid

^ Oh man.

nateman

I hope she gets better. She's got one of the greatest voices of all-time. Right up there with Otis Redding. Both sing "Respect" and both versions are fantastic.

Decker

Ugh, I missed this before. There are a lot of cancers that are quite treatable, but sadly pancreatic cancer isn't one of them. The cancerous cells act sort of like possessed evil pancreatic cells -- they produce massive amounts of digestive enzymes that literally digest the body from the inside. It's what killed Patrick Swayze recently and Michael Landon years ago. Sadly, the survival rate is miserable and most don't last more than a couple of months after diagnosis; it's also excruciatingly painful as it progresses. Aretha is a very special talent and certainly one of the all-time greats. Terrible news.

nothingfails

My dad's friend found out he had this in Feb and passed away in mid-May. And to think this was a guy who managed to survive three heart attacks and a stroke.

mh4268

Sucks, there is pretty much no chance of surviving that cancer.

big whoppa

I'm sort of surprised she's still around considering her size.

Nick Danger

I'm sorry to hear that. Pancreatic cancer has a very low survival percentage.

RichC2

Well, she certainly doesn't make it sound too dire:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110216/...retha_franklin

shaun3000

Nick, where did you find that graph?

Edit: Found it here: http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-...0Jr&topic_id=1

chaz k

This one hits close to home...my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer sometime in Oct 09 and passed away on Jan 20, 2010. Basically an uncureable cancer. The cancer produces so many enzymes it takes away the ability to digest food. The last meal my mom ate was on thanksgiving 09, so the last 2 months of her life she was unable to eat any solids.

mickey65

While I love Aretha, I personally think she's putting on a "brave front" for her fans. I'd be surprised if she actually makes it to the stage in May.

big whoppa

After a musical tribute on the Grammys, she appeared in a taped message and she looked healthy.

mickey65

If you look closer, you'll see she was wearing a ton of make-up.

big whoppa

For her at her age, that's probably not so unusual.

aintnosin

In show business?! Unheard of!

GoVegan

That makes it especially weird that the article is talking about how Aretha has lost a bunch of weight and is still trying to lose more. I tend to agree with the people who suspect she actually had gastric bypass surgery.

terrible chong

This thread makes me sad. Aretha, you'll always be Lady Soul.

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