Grammy Award singer and “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, is planning a triumphant return to the stage in May, according to Billboard.com.
The singer, who underwent gastric bypass surgery (according to inside sources) in early December, will play her first concert since the surgery on May 28 at the Seneca Niagara Casino in Buffalo, N.Y.
Ms. Franklin, 68, steadfastly refuses to admit she had gastric bypass surgery, when she’s not alone; many celebrities have undergone the procedure but is keeping mum about it, saying they lost the weight through diet and exercise.
Since her surgery, Aretha has focused on her diet, which she changed drastically per doctor’s orders. She is noticeably slimmer but she won’t say how much weight she lost.
Aretha is sticking to a strict low-fat, low cholesterol, low salt diet, but she said it will be tough to avoid eating her post-high fat, high calorie snacks, such as chitterlings, pigs’ feet and ham hocks.
“They’re off my diet. They just really don’t fit with Whole Foods,” she said. “I had it for enough years that I don’t miss it. You can’t continue to eat things that are not good for you.”
“When you come off (a high-energy concert), a carrot or some celery just isn’t going to work. I’ve gotta do a fresh fruit thing … and come up with some tasty and satisfying recipes that are going to work for me after concerts.”
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