[CrimsonTide4]

ARETHA FRANKLIN HOLDS VIGIL FOR LUTHER
QUEEN OF SOUL ARETHA FRANKLIN
INVITES YOU TO CANDLELIGHT VIGIL AND PRAYER SERVICE
FOR LUTHER VANDROSS

Aretha Franklin invites the city, fans and friends to come out for a candlelight vigil and prayer service for our friend Luther Vandross on Monday, May 19th, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM at the Little Rock Baptist Church, 9000 Woodward and Northern High School Pavilion, 9026 Woodard (off of Clairmont) in Detroit.

Aretha will be joined by the Ebenezer Mass Choir singing songs from the LP, Amazing Grace along with performances by her sons, Eddie and Kecalf. Other special guests will include Rev. Edgar Vann, Rev. Jim Holley, The Four Tops, Orthea Barnes, Rev. Michael Jemison, Ursella Walker and Buddy Budson.

Ladies, don't worry about going home to cook, there will be food there.


A NOTE FROM LUTHER'S MOTHER, MARY
Mrs. Mary Vandross speaks about her son Luther Vandross for the first time since his stroke three weeks ago...

"Since I live in Philadelphia I go to the hospital every two or three days to have a prayer with my son. I hold his hand and pray with him. Right after the stroke, he was in grave danger; it was very touch and go. But I feel that it is just a matter of time before he improves and to me, his appearance gets better daily. It's a very slow process. But I believe there is nothing too hard for God.

I'm overwhelmed by the outpouring of phone calls from people who love Luther. Jesse Jackson calls almost every day to pray with me. There is just a small group of us that are allowed to visit Luther who is still in Intensive Care. His nieces Chanece and Seveda who live in New York come every day so when I'm not there, it's comforting to know they are.

We play music for Luther all day long and we talk to him too. We play all his favorites - Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and we play his music too. His friend Fonzi puts the new song Dance With My Father on his pillow - we play that one a lot since Luther told me that he thought that was the best song he ever wrote. In fact, right after he wrote Dance With My Father he called me and he said, 'Mama, I wrote a song for you and daddy, I'm going to bring it and see what you think.'

When I heard it, I felt like I was going to, well, scream. I played it over and over and I cried and cried. I was amazed how well Luther remembered his father, how we used to dance and sing in the house. I was so surprised that at 7 years of age, he could remember what a happy household we had. It was always filled with a lot of music. Luther's father - who was also named Luther - had a beautiful voice and he would sing and sing. That is where Luther got his gift.

Knowing how he loves this new album, I believe Luther would want it to come out now and I'm so grateful that he can get this chance. He is going to recover and when he does, I want him to be greeted with a big success story. He has to recover, he's all I have left, he's my last surviving child."

MARY VANDROSS