Aretha Franklin to Sue Tabloid for Slander
December 15 -- Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin lashed out at supermarket tabloid The Star yesterday, threatening to sue the paper for $50 million because of a "trashy and grossly untrue" article from last week's issue.
The article, headlined "Aretha Franklin Drinking Herself Into the Grave," claimed that Franklin missed several concerts this year because of problems with alcohol.
Franklin, singer of such R&B classics as "Respect" and "Natural Woman," released the following statement yesterday, through her label, Arista Records:
"I was appalled and shocked to hear last week that there was a totally trashy and grossly untrue article using my name and likeness in a weekly sleaze supermarket paper that had no bearing whatsoever on who I am and what the truth is, seemingly, because I canceled one or two appearances out of fifty or more this year for legitimate reasons.
"I realize this magazine, as most intelligent Americans do, writes sleaze, for [large amounts of money], about innocent celebrities and high-profile people with reckless regard for the truth and no proof of such things, based on hearsay and their personal resentments, and on the old, lame BS of 'sources close to.' Hopefully, 'sources close to' have advised them that I am filing a $50 million lawsuit for defamation of character, gross inaccuracies, lies, and the writer's cheap, low-class, viscous, and reckless attempt at journalism at my expense."
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