Aretha Franklin's ex-husband has described the Queen of Soul's final days after visiting her on her deathbed two days before she lost her battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 76 on Thursday.
Glynn Turman, who was married to Franklin from 1978 to 1984, was joined by Stevie Wonder when he paid his last respects on Tuesday.
The actor said his former wife was 'strong until the very end' before her death left millions of fans around the world devastated.
Aretha Franklin's ex-husband (pictured together in 1979) has said she 'was strong and full of life' right up until she died aged 76 on Thursday
Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain from Los Angeles, he said: 'We were just both on the plane to pay our respects, both trying to hold onto the hope that everything would be alright.
Turman said when he arrived at Franklin's Detroit home on Tuesday, her carer gently shook her and said "Aretha, Glenn is here."
'She woke up, opened her eyes and made contact. It was a wonderful thing to see,' he said.
'I could tell by the look in her eye, she knew it was me.'
'I was holding her hand at her bedside, holding her wrist,' the 71-year-old said.
'Her pulse was so strong and full of life. Her breathing was such a defiance of what was attacking her.'
Turman, a producer and actor who has recently been in The Wire and House of Lies, said Franklin, his second wife, had a 'great sense of humor' and was 'always cracking jokes.'
'She had a repertoire of jokes she would try out on anyone,' he said.
Turnman said Franklin was 'strong till the very end,' adding: 'I was holding her hand at her bedside, holding her wrist, her pulse was so strong and full of life
Aretha Franklin (centre) poses with Glynn Turman (left) in 1980. The couple split in 1982 and then divorced in 1984
Left to right: Magic Johnson, Glynn Turman, Aretha Franklin and George Benson in 1981. Franklin passed away aged 76 on Thursday
Memorials in honor of Franklin have started growing across the United States as her devastated fans, loved ones and fellow stars pay tribute to the long-reigning Queen of Soul. Pictured: Fans at the Apollo theatre in New York
'There are some, but I can't tell you what they are. She could make a situation funny... it would crack you up.
'She was full of life, a very curious woman, she wanted to try things.'
The actor, who was Franklin's second husband, said his favorite moment with her was when she sang for the Queen Mother in Britain.
'It meant a lot to her and all of us,' he said.
'I never forget the Queen Mother being as gracious as she was.'
Talking about Franklin's rise to super-stardom, he said: 'She did it with a tremendous will - you had to come up with a strong argument to change her mind.'
After divorcing her first husband Ted White in 1969, Franklin married Turman in April 1978 at her father's church, becoming stepmother to his three children from a previous marriage.
They separated in 1982 after Franklin returned to Michigan from California, and they divorced in 1984.
Memorials in honor of Franklin have started growing across the United States as her devastated fans, loved ones and fellow stars pay tribute to the long-reigning Queen of Soul.
Fans started flocked to concert venues across the country, including the Apollo Theater in New York (left) and Stax Museum in Memphis, Tennessee (right), where Franklin played throughout her career
Aretha Franklin, the long-reigning Queen of Soul, died on Thursday morning at age 76 from advance pancreatic cancer. She is pictured at her last public performance in New York in November last year
Fans lined up to lay flowers on Franklin's Hollywood Walk of Fame star soon after news of her death was announced
Franklin passed away on Thursday at 9.50am surrounded by family and friends at her home in Detroit following a battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.
'In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family,' a statement from her family read.
'We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers.
'We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.'
Franklin, who sang with matchless style on such classics as 'Think,' 'I Say a Little Prayer' and her signature song, 'Respect', announced her retirement from touring last year.
The mother-of-four had battled various undisclosed health issues in recent years. Her last public performance was at Elton John's AIDS Foundation gala in New York in November last year.
Soon after news of her death - which came on the same day as Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth - was announced, celebrities took to social media to mourn the loss of the Queen of Soul.
Elton John, Barbra Streisand and The Clintons were among those to share touching notes about Franklin.
Barack and Michelle Obama, who considered Franklin a close friend, released a joint statement, saying they could 'feel our history' in Franklin's voice when she sang.
'America has no royalty. But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring. Born in Memphis and raised in Detroit, Aretha Franklin grew up performing gospel songs in her father's congregation. For more than six decades since, every time she sang, we were graced with a glimpse of the divine,' the Obamas wrote.
Memorials in honor of Aretha Franklin have started growing across the United States as her devastated fans paid tribute to the Queen of Soul
Franklin's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is adorned with flowers, candles and cards on Thursday
Flowers and photographs are seen outside the Apollo Theatre around the golden plate tribute to Aretha Franklin in New York
Floral tributes also started to pile up outside the home where Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee
'Through her compassion and unmatched musicianship, Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade - our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect.
'She helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance.
'Aretha may have passed on to a better place, but the gift of her music remains to inspire us all. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace. Michelle and I send our prayers and warmest sympathies to her family and those moved by her song.'
President Donald Trump also offered his condolences in an emotionless tribute, saying 'he knew her well'.
'She worked for me on numerous occasions. She was terrific - Aretha Franklin - on her passing,' Trump said, adding that she brought joy to millions. 'She was given a great gift from God - her voice, and she used it well. People loved Aretha. She was a special woman. So just want to pass on my warmest best wishes and sympathies to her family.'
ARETHA FRANKLIN TRIBUTES: STARS SHARE TOUCHING NOTES AFTER LEGEND DIES Soon after news of her death was announced, celebrities took to social media to mourn the loss of the Queen of Soul. Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Oprah, Barack Obama and The Clintons were among those to share touching notes about Franklin. Clive Davis, the music mogul who brought her to Arista Records and helped revive her career in the 1980s, said he was 'devastated' by her death. Smokey Robinson, who grew up with her in Detroit, said: 'This morning my longest friend in this world went home to be with our father. I will miss her so much but I know she's at peace.'
Actor Glynn Turman was married to Aretha Franklin for six years.As much as he knew her incredible recording legacy, he says there were some private moments that really opened his eyes about just how gifted a musician she really was.In an interview in Los Angeles after Franklin's death, Turman recalled one of those moments to ABC7.He woke up in the middle of the night and realized his wife wasn't in bed."She was sitting at the piano, barefoot, cigarette hanging on the side of her mouth. In her nightgown. Playing this amazing music. Just amazing," he recalled."I started to say hey baby, come to bed. And I stopped and I sat down in the doorsill. And that's really the first time it really dawned on me that my wife was!"Turman, now 71, has had a long acting career in film and television, starring in shows such as "Peyton Place," "A Different World" and HBO's "The Wire."He first met Franklin in Los Angeles, backstage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion during a performance by actor Ben Vereen, who was a high school classmate of Turman's.He was walking around backstage when he heard someone call out to him."Glynn Turman, my mother loves you!" the young man said. "I said 'Who's your mother?' He said, 'Aretha Franklin.' I said 'Whoa.'"They married in 1978 and divorced in 1984, in part because of the difficulty of maintaining a long-distance relationship.But he remained close with Franklin until the end, he said.As news of her illness emerged recently, Turman went to visit her."I went in, they said Glynn is here. She stirred. And we had a nice time together," he recalled.
In her final days, Aretha Franklin received many visitors at her home, including her ex-husband Glynn Turman.
“I felt her pulse holding her frail, frail arm,” the 71-year-old actor said in an interview with People. “I was able to feel her pulse, which was strong. So she was fighting ’til the very end."
Turman, who called Franklin "the love of his life," said that the famed singer was always a fighter.
“She’s always been a warrior — a strong, strong woman and a fighter. Her pulse told me that she was not in surrender mode. She was going to fight it ’til the end.”
The actor revealed that Franklin was conscious but unable to communicate during his visit, but he said he knew she was aware of his presence.
“We were able to feed off of that recognition, feed off of the moment of both sort of realizing that time was extremely precious," he explained. "So it was a moment full of closure.”
Franklin and Turman were married in 1978 but divorced in 1984 after a two-year separation. Despite their short marriage, the former couple remained close friends throughout the years.
“People think of her often as an iconic singer, an iconic performer, but they don’t necessarily remember that she was a mother and a wife and someone’s lover,” he said. “There was that part that I’m glad I got to know about.”
And though the actor recalled many good times with the chart-topping artist, Turman said his former wife was also known for being "stubborn as hell."
“Women’s Rights Movement should have her name written all over," he said. "She just didn’t take tea for the fever, as the old folks would say. She was stubborn and hard to persuade. When she got her mind made up on something, you might as well pretty much forget trying to change it.”
The 71-year-old concluded by thanking friends and fans for their well-wishes following Franklin's death.
“I’m sure she knew of all the people who cared about her,” he explained. “I think that the people who were taking care of her continually told her of all the good wishes that were coming through.”
The "Queen of Soul," whose recordings of such classics as "Respect" and "Chain of Fools" made her the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, died Thursday of advanced pancreatic cancer at the age 76.
"In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart," the singer's family said in a statement to the Associated Press. "We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds."
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Aretha Franklin remained 'strong until the very end' in the days leading up to her death, her ex-husband Glynn Turman has revealed.
Actor Glynn, 71, visited the 76-year-old singer on her deathbed on Tuesday, just two days before she lost her battle with pancreatic cancer.
Glynn ended up arriving at her Detroit, Michigan home with Stevie Wonder , who happened to be on the same flight from Los Angeles.
Sitting beside the ailing star, the Peyton Place star took her hand to say a final goodbye and said her pulse was 'very strong'.
(Image: ITV)
(Image: Michael Ochs Archives)
Speaking to Good Morning Britain on Friday morning, the father-of-three said: "She woke up, opened her eyes and made contact. It was a wonderful thing to see. I could tell by the look in her eye, she knew it was me.
"I was holding her hand at her bedside, holding her wrist.
"Her pulse was so strong and full of life. Her breathing was such a defiance of what was attacking her."
Glynn and Aretha were married from 1978 to 1982, with the singer becoming the stepmother of his three children from his first marriage.
(Image: Archive Photos)
Despite their split, the pair remained on good terms over the years, with Glynn fondly recalling her great sense of humour.
He told GMB: "She had a repertoire of jokes she would try out on anyone.
"There are some, but I can't tell you what they are. She could make a situation funny... it would crack you up.
"She was full of life, a very curious woman, she wanted to try things."
Meanwhile, in an interview with People.com , Franklin recalled the more positive times of their marriage before they separated.
He recalled: "The good times were wonderful. The things we were able to share, things we were able to do together, the concerts that we were able to share.
"People think of her often as an iconic singer, an iconic performer, but they don't necessarily remember that she was a mother and a wife and someone’s lover. There was that part that I’m glad I got to know about."
(Image: WireImage)
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Two days after Glynn's visit, Aretha passed away at 9.50am on Thursday morning surrounded by her family and friends at home in Detroit.
A family statement read: "In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family,' a statement from her family read.
"We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers.
"We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."
