Aretha Franklin Calls Off Her Wedding

Aretha Franklin won't be getting fitted for a wedding gown after all: She's called off her engagement. A statement released yesterday by her rep said Franklin's wedding to Willie Wilkerson wasn't going to happen. "Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast, and there were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly. There will be no wedding at this time," Franklin said. "We will not comment on it any further because of the very personal and sensitive nature of it. We appreciate all of the many well wishes from friends."

Franklin, 69, announced shortly after New Year's Day that she was getting married. In an interview with the AP, the jovial Queen of Soul talked about getting fitted for gowns by designers including Vera Wang and Donna Karan, and said she hoped for a summer wedding in either Miami or Long Island's Hamptons. (More Aretha Franklin stories.)