Aretha Franklin is ‘gravely ill,’ according to family members

Legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin is "gravely ill" in Detroit, according to reports.

Franklin, 76, is currently "surrounded by friends and family" in the city, gossip site Showbiz 411 first reported. Franklin's family confirmed the singer's condition to local Detroit news outlet DWIV-TV Local 4, with anchor Evrod Cassimy writing on Twitter that Franklin is "asking for your prayers at this time."

Franklin has been battling health issues the last several years. In 2010, it was reported that she was battling cancer, but the following year, Franklin denied the rumor, telling Access Hollywood that she suffered from pain in her side that "almost brought me to my knees." She did not elaborate further on the cause of the pain.

The singer's health caused the cancelation of two New Jersey concerts earlier this year. Most recently, Franklin performed for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York in November. Her last public performance was at Philly's Mann Center last August.

>> READ MORE: Aretha Franklin, as moving as ever, in what could be her final live performance in Philadelphia

Franklin last year also announced plans for her retirement, limiting herself to "some select things," as she told Detroit's Local 4.

"This will be my last year," she said in 2017. "I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it."

Born in Memphis in 1942, Franklin moved to Detroit with her family as a child, where she lived for several decades, Detroit Free Press reports. She began her career in music in the 1950s as a gospel singer, before moving on to secular music in the early 1960s.

Since then, Franklin has become known "Queen of Soul" for hits including "Respect," "Natural Woman," and "Think." In 1987, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was named the greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone in 2008.