Gladys Knight Reveals She Has Pancreatic Cancer at Aretha Franklin’s Funeral
Legendary singer Gladys Knight revealed she has pancreatic cancer, the same illness that Aretha Franklin died from, Detroit News reports.
Knight announced the news to Detroit’s WDIV on Thursday while she attended Franklin’s funeral at Greater Grace Temple.
“The Lord tells us where we are going and tells us when we are coming,” Knight told US Weekly on Monday, choosing not to disclose her battle with the illness. ” I’m not overly upset about [Franklin’s death], and he knows how much each one of us can bear, and he calls us home with those things in mind. That’s the way I feel about it, because he loves us like that.”
It’s unclear when Knight was diagnosed, but Franklin had reportedly had pancreatic cancer for eight years before passing away on Aug. 16.
Medical professionals told the Detroit News that Franklin living eight years with the disease was longer than usual since 20 percent of those diagnosed do not live past one year and only 7 percent survive five years post-diagnosis.
Knight attended a tribute concert for Franklin on Thursday at Chene Park Amphitheater in Detroit.
