Gladys Knight reveals that she has pancreatic cancer

During Aretha Franklin’s funeral on Friday, legendary diva Gladys Knight revealed that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Knight, 74, told local station WDIV that she has the same disease that Franklin died from, according to the Detroit News. Knight didn’t say when she was diagnosed or what treatment she is receiving.

Knight, known as the “Empress of Soul,” is a seven-time Grammy Award winner. Her act Gladys Knight & the Pips was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Hours after Gladys Knight reportedly revealed that she is battling pancreatic cancer – the same disease that struck her late friend and fellow soul legend Aretha Franklin – Knight’s publicist denied that the singer has cancer.

WDIV, a local television station in Detroit, Michigan, reported that Knight said she had “the same illness” as Franklin while attending the Queen of Soul’s service at Greater Grace Temple on Thursday, The Detroit News reports. The singer did not disclose when she was diagnosed with the illness.