Aretha Franklin To Wed Longtime Beau Willie Wilkerson
By Susan Whitall
Detroit News Music Writer
Aretha Franklin and companion William Wilkerson plan to wed in June or July. (Monica Morgan Photography)
It appears that Aretha Franklin and longtime friend William "Willie" Wilkerson had a romantic Christmas — the Queen of Soul says they're talking about getting married this summer.
Over the years, when asked if he's her beau, Franklin usually smiles enigmatically and describes him as a friend. But the tall, handsome Wilkerson is never far from her side, including at her Christmas bash at the Detroit Athletic Club last week.
The couple are talking about getting married in a waterfront setting in Miami Beach, with a reception to follow aboard a luxury yacht.
As for the all-important dress, the singer is mulling over Donna Karan, Valentino and of course, the doyenne of wedding gown design, Vera Wang, to whip up a wedding frock.
Franklin commented in a statement to The Detroit News, "We're looking at June or July for our date," adding mischievously, "No, I'm not pregnant, LOL!"
Franklin was previously married twice, first in 1962 to her manager Ted White, and, in a lavish 1978 ceremony at her father's Detroit church, to actor Glynn Turman.
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