James Allen News Center

Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul, has proved that it's never too late to tie the knot.  At 69, the Queen of Soul is engaged to long time friend William “Willie” Wilkerson, a handsome former firefighter who Franklin apparently met while signing autographs almost 30 years ago. Franklin and Wilkerson are said to have struck up a friendship after Wilkerson asked her to sign a cast he was wearing on his broken leg. 

"We're looking at June or July for our date, and no I'm not pregnant, LOL!” said Franklin. 

The couple, who became engaged over the Christmas holidays, are planning a a private wedding ceremony on a yacht in Miami, Florida this summer. Franklin has not yet flashed an engagement ring, however.

2012 is off to a fresh start and a positive turn of luck for The Queen of Soul, who experienced a lot of personal turmoil the past few years. Franklin lost 85 lbs last year and successfully overcame a serious health issue in 2010.

Franklin, who has been married twice before, is looking into a tailored designer wedding gown. Sources say Vera Wang, Valentino, and Donna Karen are likely candidates for dress designer.

Franklin has won 18 Grammy awards and is considered to be one of the most successful singers in the history of pop and appears on Rolling Stone magazine’s "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" list. 45 of her songs have reached the “Top 40” on the Billboard charts, and 20 of them have gone to #1. Franklin is also the first woman to be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. One of Franklin's most notable appearances in recent years was her performance of "My Country 'tis of Thee" at President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009.

Jennifer Hudson is apparently set to star in a biopic based on Franklin’s life, a role that Hally Berry turned down for undisclosed reasons.