Aretha Franklin has lost a staggering 85lbs in weight.Aretha Franklin, the legendary American singer who underwent an undisclosed surgical procedure last year, has shed 85lbs in weight and looked fit and healthy at Madison Square Garden in New York this week, reports the UK's Daily Mail.The 'Queen of Soul' looked slim as she posed for photographs at the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic basketball game, wearing a smart navy trouser suit with a white t-shirt and pearl necklace. The 68-year-old's dramatic weight loss had sparked rumours that she had undergone a gastric bypass or lap band surgery, but the singer denied the speculation during a recent interview on Access Hollywood live, saying, "I heard that. I said, 'That is crazy'. But it definitely was not the bariatric or, what is it, gastric.Yeah, I can't even tell you the correct name of it".
Aretha Franklin is currently preparing for her 'comeback concert', which is scheduled for the 19th May 2011 at the Chicago Theatre. The show will coincide with the release of her new studio album, titled 'Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love".