Gladys Knight said late Friday she does not have pancreatic cancer, the type that took the life of her friend Aretha Franklin.
On her way into Franklin's funeral service in Detroit, Knight told local news station WDIV about the last conversation she had with the Queen of Soul. "We just got to talking and everything and at that time we shared the fact that we had the same disease," said Knight.
That led to The Detroit News reporting that Knight had revealed her own battle with pancreatic cancer.
Knight's publicist later told media the report is not true.
"I’d like to clarify that Aretha and I discussed both of us having cancer, mine was stage 1 breast cancer and hers was pancreatic,” Knight, 74, said, in a statement. "Due to early detection, I am cancer-free and grateful for that.
"It is unfortunate that on a day we should be celebrating Aretha’s life and massive contribution to our world, a reporter who did not relay accurate information has missed the message."