Fans are getting reacquainted with Aretha Franklin's family as the biopic " Respect" hits theaters. As depicted in the film, although Aretha's father and some of her siblings lived primarily in Detroit, Michigan, her family often joined her in recording studios and on tour across the country. While her siblings never achieved the same success as she did, some went on to have lengthy careers. Their father, Pastor CL Franklin, encouraged their musical careers. Franklin's entire family also supported her personally and professionally, supporting her as she gained world fame while raising her children and going through two divorces. So who are the most important family members in Aretha's life?
Reverend Franklin
Franklin's father was a man with a "million-dollar voice," a popular preacher and singer best known for organizing the 1963 "Freedom March" in Detroit with Martin Luther King. He was the first preacher to participate in an American gospel tour. In 1953, he formed his own band, CL Franklin's Gospel Caravan, in which Aretha sometimes sang. He recorded dozens of sermons and reportedly earned $4,000 per performance. He hosted "jam sessions" with famous singers and musicians at his home in Detroit.
In June 1946, he became pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church, having previously served as pastor in Memphis, Tennessee. There, at age 25, he fathered a child with a 12-year-old member of the church. He was not punished for his actions, and 12-year-old Mildred Jennings was separated from her children and sent to an orphanage. Live with relatives. The child, Carl Ellan Kelley, was raised by her grandmother and died in 2019. Aretha Franklin bequeathed $50,000 to her half-sister in a will she drafted.
In 1979, CL was shot to death at his home in Detroit during an attempted robbery. He fell into a coma and died five years later, in 1984.
Barbara Franklin (Segers Seggs)
Aretha's mother was a pianist and singer who inspired her daughter. In 1936, she married CL; she had a son, Vaughn, from a previous relationship, who was adopted by CL (Vaughn did not learn that CL was not his biological father until 1951). The couple's relationship was contentious, and Barbara eventually grew tired of her husband's infidelity and moved to New York in 1948, although the two never officially divorced. A major Time magazine article once falsely stated that Barbara abandoned the family, but Aretha and other family members frequently corrected the lie.
She died of a heart attack in 1952 at the age of 34. Franklin was still young at the time. The singer wrote in her autobiography of losing her mother: "I cannot describe the pain, nor will I try."
elma franklin
Irma, the oldest child of CL and Barbara, began singing at the age of five and sang in her father's gospel choir with the other siblings. Irma sometimes provided background vocals on Aretha's songs, but she was also a singer-songwriter in her own right, with many hits. She and Aretha performed together in the 1980s and 1990s.
Erma married young and gave birth to her first child (one of two children) at the age of 16. She was also part of the extended family that helped care for Aretha's children. In David Ritz's 2015 biography Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin , Irma said: "It was understood that our babies would be welcomed and cared for with immense love. It was also understood that our future as women - our education and our careers - would not be compromised because of these premature births. Damage." She added: "Dad recognized that our ambition was a psychological strength that we inherited from him. He did everything he could to encourage his daughters to be housewives. We see ourselves as stars, and we see ourselves as such.”
Irma eventually became a pop singer and lived in New York City. Her recording of "Piece of My Heart" finally gained recognition when Levi's used it in a commercial. She died of lung cancer in 2002.
Reverend Cecil Franklin
Aretha's older brother, Cecil, serves at the same church as their father, New Bethel Baptist Church. Prior to that, he graduated as valedictorian from Morehouse College and served as assistant pastor for three years.
After Franklin divorced her first husband, Ted White, who was also her manager, Cecil stopped working at the church and became her manager. Little is known about him except that he died of a heart attack in 1989. In 2015, Franklin paid tribute to him and her father at a memorial service at the church.
caroline franklin
The youngest of the four siblings was a talented musician in her own right, even writing "Ain't No Way," which Franklin later sang. Like Irma, Caroline was a singer, lending her voice to Aretha's songs, but despite her talent, she did not achieve the same success.
Both Irma and Caroline contributed to Franklin's adaptation of "Respect", with Caroline writing "Baby, Baby, Baby" and "Ain'tnobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)" and contributing to "Baby Me" Love You," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Daydream." Caroline is interested in women, and fans have speculated that some of her songs are about LGBTQ+ love - but that hasn't been confirmed yet confirmed.
Despite making several albums, she never achieved solo success. "People don't let me get out of [Aretha's] shadow, and I think that's wrong," she once said in an interview. Caroline was involved in various musical projects and even considered acting before deciding to move back to Detroit after her father was shot and killed. She attended law school to become an entertainment lawyer, but sadly, she died of breast cancer in 1989 (the same year as Cecil) before she could achieve that goal.
