What Happened To Aretha Franklin's Mother
Aretha Franklin died from a heart attack when she was just 10 years old. After a turbulent family history with Aretha Franklin, Barbara Franklin died. Barbara Franklin’s passing was just one of the many losses in Aretha Franklin’s life before her death at 76 from pancreatic Cancer.
When did Barbara Siggers Franklin die?
Barbara Siggers Franklin, 34, died in Buffalo (New York) in 1952. Aretha Franklin, who was only ten years old at the time her mother died, had been living with her father C.L. Detroit, Michigan: Franklin Barbara Franklin’s final resting place is Buffalo’s Forest Lawn Cemetery. Aretha Franklin, in her memoir and to her death, was fiercely protective of her mother. She would not allow anyone to claim that her mother had abandoned the family.
Aretha was deeply traumatized by her mother’s passing and stated in her book that she couldn’t even begin to describe the pain caused by her mother’s death. Aretha’s agent would tell you that Aretha was traumatized from a lot of things in her childhood. According to news reports, Aretha’s agent stated that Aretha died without warning. This caused a great shock and resulted in years of darkness that were accompanied by music.
Was it hard growing up with Aretha Franklin?
Aretha Franklin was born at Shelby, Mississippi to Clarence LaVaughn (C.L.). Franklin and Barbara Franklin were married in 1936. The family had five children, including Vaughn, who was born before the marriage to C.L. Barbara. C.L. adopted him. Franklin at the time of his marriage. Aretha wasn’t the first artist to record for the family. C.L. C.L. Barbara was musically gifted, and she is best known for her piano playing in C.L.’s church. However, her dream to become a recording artist didn’t quite come true like Aretha Franklin’s.
Barbara Franklin was still a gospel singer and was portrayed in the 2021 Aretha Franklin biopic Respect by Audra McDonald, a Tony winner and Broadway star. Barbara moved to Buffalo with her husband and family in 1948. Aretha’s life would collapse over the next four years. However, she did visit her mother in Buffalo a lot during that time.
How was Aretha Franklin’s relationship with her parents?
It is clear that Aretha Franklin was traumatized. However, her relationship with her parents was a happy one. Her father was a well-known Baptist preacher and her mother was active in the church up to the separation of the family. Barbara brought Vaughn, her first child, with her when she moved to Buffalo, New York. Aretha, her three siblings and her father were raised in Detroit. She only saw her mother when she was able. Aretha described the time in her life as difficult and often referred to her father’s violent temper.
She believed her father was a womanizer, and she expressed it many times throughout her life. Her older brother Cecil wrote a biography, stating that her family discord broke her “little heart” and that Aretha was the one most affected by it. While Aretha loved her father, her greatest affections were for her mother. She would often pack her bags before she arrived in New York, and often cried about her mother.
C.L. C.L.
C.L. C.L. Aretha’s dad was killed in a 1979 home invasion. He then went into a five year coma, which he never recovered from. A few years later, Aretha lost her brother Cecil, and her sister Carolyn to cancer. Aretha sang and contributed to the gospel of her father’s congregation before she became an adult. However, she needed to get permission from her father to change to secular music. When she was 18 years old, she did exactly that. Her father was not as interested in recording as she was. He preferred to use his platform for civil rights movements, using his Million Dollar Voice in aid of Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1963 freedom march on Detroit’s Woodward Avenue.
Is Aretha Franklin’s mother a stranger?
Media and her estranged husband seemed to perpetuate the notion that Aretha Franklin’s mother, Barbara Siggers Franklin had abandoned her family. Her children publicly supported this idea. Aretha Franklin’s biography makes it clear that her mother did indeed not leave the family. She also explains that her mother remained close to her children until her passing. Cecil’s biography stated the same thing. Neil Salvatore, a Cornell University professor, wrote a biography about C.L. Franklin confirmed that Barbara was not accused of abandoning her family. Another idea that the family is consistent with is that Barbara Franklin’s father was not lacking in relationships after she moved has been that Barbara Franklin did not leave. The summer holidays would be spent in Buffalo by the children, and they were very happy doing so. Barbara Franklin visited her children in Detroit every chance she got.
Have you ever heard of Barbara Franklin?
Her family described Barbara Franklin as a loving mother, right up until her passing. At 34 years old, she died from a heart attack in Buffalo New York. She leaves behind five traumatized children. Barbara didn’t abandon her family, despite the national rumors that continue to circulate today. Aretha Franklin was raised by a loving mother. She spent as much time as possible with her children until her death. It was likely that it was a painful experience that Aretha Franklin never got over. Aretha Franklin was the mother of Barbara Franklin. Is there something about her story that intrigues or fascinates you?