Aretha Franklin‘s second husband, actor Glynn Turman says Aretha’s final days were peaceful and she was “alert and aware” before she died at age 76 on Thursday following a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer.
Turman and Aretha divorced in 1984 after 6 tumultuous years of marriage. Their union did not produce children. He married his current wife, Jo-Ann Allen (pictured above), in 1992.
The 71-year-old actor is best known for his starring roles in the 1975 movie Cooley High and ’80s TV sitcom A Different World.
Turman visited Aretha’s Bloomfield Hills home with R&B legend Stevie Wonder in the days before she passed.
Turman described Aretha as “quite strong” until the end.
“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.”
Turman said he received “closure” after speaking to Aretha for the final time. According to gossipmongers, Turman cheated on Aretha during their marriage, and she leaked media reports that suggested they were still together long after they had separated.
Aretha, pictured above with good friend Eddie Levert, had a history of failed relationships with men. She married twice and she gave birth to four sons — the first was born when she was only 12. She had two children by age 14.
Photos by David Livingston/Getty Images
