Aretha Franklin's Dark Secrets: Alcohol And Smoking

Aretha Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist, who experienced a difficult childhood and tumultuous personal life. Despite her immense talent, Franklin's struggles with alcohol and her abusive marriage to Ted White were well-known. While she never publicly acknowledged her alcoholism, Franklin's drinking reportedly caused her to fall off a stage and break her arm during a performance in 1967. Her publicist and siblings also attributed missed shows to her drinking.

Aretha Franklin's alcoholism

Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul", was a Grammy award-winning artist known for her powerful and emotive voice. However, she allegedly struggled with alcohol addiction throughout her life, although she never publicly acknowledged it.

Franklin had a difficult life, with a troubled home life and an abusive marriage to her manager, Ted White. Her father, Clarence LaVaughn Franklin, was a preacher with a deep devotion to God and an active participant in the Civil Rights movement. However, he also had a violent temper, and Franklin and her three siblings were cautious around him. Franklin's first husband, Ted White, allegedly introduced her to alcohol and weed.

Franklin's friend, Ruth Bowen, claimed that she turned to alcohol to numb the pain of her unhappy marriage. In May 1967, Franklin fell off the stage at a show in Columbus, Georgia, and broke her arm. Ruth claimed that this was because Franklin was drunk. Franklin's struggles with alcohol also impacted her performances, with her agent Ruth Bowen telling Ritz: "She had a habit of getting loaded before a performance. In no way did that help her singing…Aretha was big on denial. She didn’t want to hear that she had a drinking problem."

Franklin never publicly acknowledged her struggles with alcohol. Her 1999 memoir, From These Roots, glossed over traumatic milestones in her life, including her alleged battles with alcohol. However, in 2014, Ritz published a more honest biography, Respect, which delved into Franklin's traumatic past and her alleged struggles with alcohol.

In addition to alcohol addiction, Franklin also struggled with food addiction, obesity, and smoking. She quit smoking in 1992, admitting that it was "messing with my voice".

Her troubled home life

Aretha Franklin's troubled home life started with her parents' divorce and the death of her mother when she was just 10. She was close to her father, C.L. Franklin, a prominent Baptist minister and preacher, who was known for his incredible oratory style and deep devotion to God. However, he also had a violent temper and was dependent on alcohol. Aretha's oldest sister, Erma, commented that their father had a "violent temper" and that their parents' relationship was "stormy".

Aretha's father was also allegedly promiscuous and hosted wild orgies at his church. At the age of 12, Aretha spent time in a hotel room with late soul singer Sam Cooke and fell pregnant the same year with her first child. She gave birth to her second child at 14. The fathers of her first two children are unknown.

Aretha's father was the driving force behind her first gospel album, "Songs of Faith". However, the pressure to be great and the ups and downs of dealing with her father's temperament likely impacted many of her later decisions.

At 18, Aretha Franklin signed as a recording artist with Columbia Records. Her career did not immediately take off, but she found success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. She began a tumultuous marriage to her manager, Ted White, who allegedly introduced her to alcohol and weed. Her marriage was marked by physical abuse, which inspired her hit song I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).

Aretha Franklin's troubled home life, combined with an abusive marriage, likely contributed to her struggles with alcohol and addiction.

Abusive marriage to Ted White

Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul", was known for her powerful and emotive voice. However, she had a long-standing battle with alcohol addiction, which she often denied. She also struggled with other addictions, including smoking, which she kicked in the 1990s, food addiction, and obesity.

Franklin's first marriage to Ted White, who was also her manager, was filled with dark moments. They married in 1961 when Franklin was 19, and White was reportedly 30. The marriage lasted seven years and was marked by physical abuse. White "roughed her up" more than once, including a public incident in 1967 that resulted in Franklin being banned from the hotel where it occurred. Despite this, Franklin was committed to the cause of freedom and sang at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's 10th-anniversary convention anyway.

Franklin's friend and fellow gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, told TIME in 1968, "I don't think she's happy. Somebody else is making her sing the blues." The lyrics to Franklin's 1967 song "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," are also presumed to be about her abusive marriage to White. The song tells the story of a woman whose partner treats her terribly, but she is too in love with him to leave, even though she knows the relationship will not improve.

Franklin's brother said that their father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, "knew Ted was something of a shady character" and "thought the association would hurt Aretha." Producer Harvey Fuqua agreed, saying, "Anyone who didn’t see Ted White as a straight-up pimp had to be deaf, dumb and blind." Franklin's inner circle was not fond of White, and there were concerns about his influence over her.

The end of Franklin and White's marriage was dogged by reports of domestic abuse. They separated in 1968, and Franklin reportedly regained control of her drinking. She fell pregnant again, this time by her road manager, Ken Cunningham, with their son Kecalf arriving in March 1970.

Her father's alcoholism

Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul", was known for her powerful and emotive voice. However, she struggled with several addictions throughout her life, including alcoholism. While Franklin denied any issues with alcohol, her family life was troubled. Her father, Clarence LaVaughn Franklin, was a nationally known Baptist preacher and civil rights activist. He was also known for his million-dollar voice and his emotionally driven sermons.

C.L. Franklin had a significant impact on his daughter's life and career. He managed her and helped her sign her first recording deal with J.V.B. Records. However, he also struggled with alcoholism and had a violent temper. Franklin and her siblings were cautious when dealing with their father due to his temper. The family's home in Detroit, Michigan, was allegedly the site of wild orgies, which even shocked singer Ray Charles. C.L. Franklin's infidelities and tempestuous relationship with Aretha's mother contributed to a troubled marriage, which ultimately ended in separation in 1948.

Aretha Franklin's first husband, Ted White, has also been cited as a potential influence on her struggles with alcohol. White, who became her manager, allegedly introduced Franklin to alcohol and was physically abusive during their marriage. The pain and heartbreak of her abusive relationship are believed to have contributed to her drinking. Despite her talent, Franklin's performances suffered due to her inebriation, and she fell off the stage during a show in Columbus, Georgia, in May 1967, breaking her arm.

Franklin's struggles with alcohol were well-known to those close to her, but she never publicly acknowledged them. Her friend and agent, Ruth Bowen, observed Franklin's drinking and its negative impact on her singing. Franklin's ghostwriter, David Ritz, also acknowledged her battles with alcohol, which were notably absent from her sanitized memoir, "From These Roots".

The impact of smoking on her voice

While it is not widely reported, some sources suggest that the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin was a smoker for a part of her life. She herself spoke openly about her smoking habit, which she kicked in the 1990s.

Smoking is known to have a detrimental impact on the vocal cords, which can have a profound effect on a singer's voice and performance. Firstly, smoking dries out the vocal cords, causing dehydration and potential vocal cord damage. The smoke damages the cilia in the airways, which are hair-like structures that control the build-up of phlegm and keep the lungs functioning optimally. When the cilia are damaged, they become coated with tar, leading to an increased build-up of phlegm and the characteristic "smoker's cough". This reduction in lung function directly impacts a singer's ability to control their voice, hold notes for long periods, and maintain stamina during performances.

Additionally, smoking causes swelling of the vocal folds, increasing their water content and resulting in a deepening of the tone of the voice. This contributes to the raspy quality often associated with smoke-damaged voices. The swelling also makes the vocal folds more susceptible to bleeding or scarring, which can permanently impact the higher end of the singer's vocal range.

While some singers who smoke may not experience an immediate or drastic decline in their vocal abilities, the cumulative effects of smoking can be detrimental over time. For singers, the negative consequences of smoking on the voice and overall health are significant, and quitting smoking is the only way to protect the voice.

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