Aretha Franklin Responds to Son’s Beating

In an effort to clear up several inaccuracies regarding the incident, revered soul singer Aretha Franklin has finally made a public statement regarding the brutal beating of her 52-year old son, Eddie Franklin.

The eighteen-time Grammy-winning singer disclosed that her son was assaulted by two men and a woman at a Detroit area gas station, all of whom were in their late teens, on the night of Monday, September 20. Contrary to previous reports, the Queen of Soul denied that her son refused to cooperate with police regarding his assault, stating instead that his injures prevented him from giving a full statement, and that he was released before the authorities arrived at the hospital.

"After observing my son on Tuesday, it was clear that he was unable to communicate with anyone after such a traumatic attack and with his jaw wired," the singer said in a prepared statement. "The officer probably would not have been able to give a statement if he had been attacked by three men the very next day, either, and it was totally unreasonable to expect Eddie to do so as if he were not being cooperative."

Following the attack, an unidentified bystander rushed Eddie Franklin to a local hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery early Tuesday morning. As a result of the assault, Aretha was forced to cancel a performance in Kansas City, Mo. on Sunday, September 26, so that she could help her son recover.