Amidst the furore and media reports surrounding Bobby Brown storming out of the Whitney Houston funeral on Saturday (February 18, 2012), Aretha Franklin's no-show seems to have been glossed over. Prior to the memorial service, Aretha's scheduled performance was one of the most-talked about factors of the forthcoming tribute.
However, Bobby Brown's unexpected early departure - apparently due to his being unhappy over the seating arrangements - overshadowed the fact that the Queen of Soul did not appear at the church at all on Saturday. A report from USA Today explains that Aretha released a statement blaming muscle spasms for the no-show, with the star saying that she wanted to rest her legs as much as possible until her concert on Saturday evening. However, Extra TV suggested that she was 'uninvited' to the funeral, following remarks that she made on the 'Today' show, which may have offended Whitney's mother, Cissy Houston. Aretha is reported to have said "Parents really have to talk to their children before they leave home. They have to make sure when they leave home, they have all the right things. She left home with all the right things, but she just kind of lost her way along the way," which some have interpreted as a veiled insult.
The 'leg spasm' excuse seems to have endured though, with the Daily News reporting yesterday (February 21, 2012) that Aretha had sent Cissy flowers apologizing for not appearing at the funeral. A note reportedly explained that she felt unable to miss the Radio City show that night, as it was a replacement show for one that she had missed in 2010 due to health problems.