The 'Spanish Harlem' singer insists neither Whitney's mother nor any other members of the Houstons banned her from coming to the February 18 funeral.
- Feb 23, 2012
AceShowbiz - Aretha Franklin denies rumors that she called off her performance at Whitney Houston's funeral because there's bad blood between her and her goddaughter's mother, Cissy. Calling the report BS, she insists, "Cissy Houston and I have been longtime friends for almost 50 years."
Contrary to reports that she's banned from the service, Aretha says, "I have four invitations and parking passes that were sent to me for the funeral." She further notes that the media are "more interested in sensationalism and negative speculations than the truth."
The "Respect" hitmaker adds, "People are getting their information from the wrong source. The intelligent and the thoughtful thing to do would be to respect and have some sensitivity to the moment. If you don't know how, at least try."
Aretha reportedly upset Cissy due to the former's interview on "Today" show. Aretha said during the chat, "Parents really have to talk to their children before they leave home. They have to make sure when they leave home, they have all the right things. She left home with all the right things, but she just kind of lost her way along the way."
The statement was seen as a criticism towards Whitney's family, but Aretha insists it's not. She clarifies, "My entire statement was pretaped. However, the 'Today' show did not air the part of my statement, which said, 'This is no reflection on Cissy or Nippy's upbringing'."
"Knowing Cissy as well as I do, I know Whitney left home right and properly. I was generalizing and it was a well intended statement for any young adult coming into the music industry. I was not speaking of anyone specifically."
Aretha canceled her scheduled performance at Whitney's funeral at the last minute. She explained back then, "Unfortunately I had terrible leg spasms and locked leg muscles until 4:00 A.M. this morning following my concert last night, which I've been having for the last few days."
