Franklin sings at an AIDS benefit concert in April 1993. Photo / AP
A blistering note Aretha Franklin once penned to a body-shaming gossip columnist has resurfaced in the wake of the Queen of Soul's death yesterday.
Shared by popular Twitter account Letters of Note after news broke that Franklin had died of pancreatic cancer at age 76, the
letter was sent by the singer in response to a 1993 missive by New York Post columnist Liz Smith.
The legendary gossip columnist, known as the "Grand Dame of Dish", had delivered quite the backhanded compliment to Franklin about a Bill Blass gown she wore in a Fox TV special, saying she "must know she's too bosomy to wear such clothing, but she just doesn't care what we think, and that attitude is what separates mere stars from true divas."
Aretha was certainly fond of showing off her curves well into her 70s — here's a photo of her from the year Smith's column was written, 1993 (note: This isn't the outfit Smith was criticising her for):
Franklin wasn't going to take public snark about her fashion choices lying down — and in a letter sent direct to Smith, she put the gossip columnist in her place:
