Just one week after saying she wasn’t “going to even deal with” rumors that she was suffering from pancreatic cancer, Aretha Franklin is finally speaking out.
“I don’t know where ‘pancreatic cancer’ came from,” the Queen of Soul tells “Access Hollywood.” “I was sitting there reading the newspaper and it was saying someone in my family said that. No one in my family ever said that to anybody.”
The 68-year-old singing legend underwent surgery for her undisclosed health problem in December and now says things couldn’t be better.
“[My doctor] said, ‘The surgery that you just had is going to add 15 to 20 more years to your life,'” she reveals. Another perk? “I’m down to a rockin’ [size] 16 – 18… It’s getting better every day. I plan on keeping this weight that I have now — I’m so happy with it.”
Meanwhile, Franklin has a biopic about her life in the works and wants Halle Berry to play the older Aretha. But Berry, 44, isn’t quite sure she’s up for the task.
“I can’t sing! ” the Oscar winner told E!’s Ryan Seacrest, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “If I could carry a tune, I’d consider it. Someone should tell Aretha that I can’t do her justice.”
