FBI files on Aretha Franklin released
A 270-page document tracking Aretha Franklin's activities has been made public
Last updated 15th Sep 2022
Following a Freedom of Information request, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released files on Aretha Franklin, obtained by the journalist Jenn Dize.
The documents suggest that the FBI were interested in Aretha Franklin's Civil Rights connections and activities, particularly her association with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Some of the details of the mammoth 270-page document obtained include details about how the vocalist was due to perform at a significant memorial concert dedicated to Martin Luther King, following his killing in 1968, which the FBI believed could spark "racial disturbance".
Aretha Franklin's key participation in the Civil Rights movement and friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is well known, with the soul singer performing at his funeral.
Furthermore, the files push heavily on insinuations of Aretha Franklin's ties to Black Panther Party events, the Black Liberation Army, plus highlight a number of events as "communist infiltration" events.
Writing about the documents, Jenn Dize penned, "While incomplete, the FBI files show repeated and disgusting suspicion of the famed Black singer, her work, and activists around her".
The documents, which largely track her activity at the height of her career, also reveal other moments of significance, including death threats made against Aretha Franklin's life, as well as a potential legal feud with Yahoo! Groups about copyright infringement.
The full set of documents, which were originally requested to be released in 2018, are available to view here.
These revelations follow a recent legal challenge against the FBI by the last surviving group The Monkees - Micky Dolenz - in order to have documents released by the bureau.
Aretha Franklin passed away in August of 2018, at the age of 76.
Who was Aretha Franklin?
It's fair to say that Aretha Franklin - "The Queen of Soul" - was a trailblazer. Not only is she one of the most decorated artists in Grammy history, she was also the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1981 and was rated by Rolling Stone as the top spot in their 2010 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time".
You can find out more her life and work here.