Aretha Franklin: 'The Engagement is Off'
Aretha Franklin has ended her engagement with longtime friend William "Willie" Wilkerson.
The renowned singer, famously dubbed the Queen of Soul, and Wilkerson explained their decision to halt their wedding plans in a joint statement released Monday, according to PEOPLE Magazine.
"Regretfully, To Our Friends and Supporters: Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast, and there were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly," the statement read.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"There will be no wedding at this time ... we will not comment on it any further because of the very personal and sensitive nature of it. We appreciate all of the many well wishes from friends," it added.
Fans were shocked by the pair's abrupt decision to call of their engagement, and it remains unclear whether they will pursue their relationship.
Franklin, 69, only recently announced her engagement on Jan. 2, even specifying that the pair were in the process of finalizing a wedding date.
"We're looking at June or July for our date, and no, I'm not pregnant, LOL!" the "Respect" singer joked to PEOPLE.
Franklin, who rarely discusses her love life, even went as far as to discuss her ideal bridal dress, suggesting that Vera Wang was amongst her favorite designers.
This would have been Franklin's third marriage after two failed marriages with actor Glynn Turman and, to her Baptist father's dismay, a man named Ted White.
At the age of 14 she had her first child, Clarence, who was named after her father, before giving birth to three others: Edward, Teddy, and Kecalf.
Throughout her successful singing career Franklin has received 18 Grammy awards and two honorary Grammys for her legendary music.
Franklin is known for a range of hit songs including "Chain of Fools," "Freeway Of Love" and "Master of Eyes."
Franklin and Wilkerson were also reportedly once engaged in 1987, although that was also short lived.
