Aretha Franklin launches a vicious verbal assault on Dionne Warwick.
This week, the Queen of Soul reopened an old wound, when she called out Warwick for a comment she made at Whitney Houston’s funeral in 2012. On Monday, April 25, the 75-year-old “Natural Woman” singer sent the Associated Press a “lengthy fax” where she accused Warwick, 76, of falsifying claims that she was Houston’s godmother. “She blatantly lied on me… fully well knowing what she was doing,” Franklin told the AP.
According to Franklin, Warwick’s statement was “libelous.” At the time, Warwick told funeral-goers that Franklin was present and introduced her. However, later, realized she wasn’t in attendance. “Ree’s not here, but she is here,” said Warwick. “She loves Whitney as if she were born to her. She is her godmother.”
Meanwhile, Franklin stated she was unable to attend Houston’s funeral due to swollen feet and a scheduling conflict — a performance later that night at Radio City Music Hall in New York, she continued to the AP, adding that she was contractually obligated.
Even after, Cissy Houston, Whitney’s mother, had corrected the error, stating that Franklin was not the “I Will Always Love You” singer’s godmother, the “Chain Of Fools” vocalist admitted she was still holding a grudge — and rightfully so. “There’s been so much going on around her (Houston), around the service, around the drugs, around her and Bobby (Brown) supposed to be fighting, I didn’t want to add anything to that and I didn’t want to be a part of that,” said Franklin of not immediately addressing Warwick’s claim.
“At this point it isn’t about an apology, it’s about libel,” Franklin continued. “We’ve never been friends and I don’t think that Dionne has ever liked me.”
Warwick on the other hand, isn’t the slightest bit interested in entertaining old news. When asked for a comment by the AP, her rep responded, “She will not dignify a response to the statement made by Aretha Franklin.”
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