Aretha: An Allergic Reaction

Aretha Franklin is still in the hospital but is said to be feeling a little better, on the mend from an allergic reaction to antibiotics, according to her doctor.

Dr. Claud Young told WXYZ-TV, in Franklin's hometown, Detroit, that she checked into Sinai-Grace Hospital Saturday night. Franklin went to the hospital after starting to feel sick on her way home from a concert tour. Young says tests showed that her blood platelet count had dropped.

"It was an allergic reaction to some antibiotics that she took just shortly before... and it gave her a rather severe reaction," says Young. "She is really doing well... It's nothing that's lasting as far as we can tell at this time."

"I am resting comfortably and responding very well," Franklin said in a statement released by her publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn.

A day earlier, Quinn acknowledged Franklin had been hospitalized, but declined to reveal either the nature of the illness or the name of the hospital.

Franklin, whose soulful voice has made her one of the world's most revered singers, is known for numerous hits including her signature song "Respect," "(You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman," "Baby I Love You," "Chain of Fools" and "Freeway of Love."

Franklin, the daughter of a Baptist preacher famous for his fiery sermons, started out singing in the church choir and - with her dad's encouragement and connections to the major gospel artists of the day - was making records by the age of 14.

She's worked with a wide variety of artists in her nearly five-decade long career, including Burt Bachrach, Luther Vandross, Annie Lennox, George Michael, Sly Stone, Elton John, James Brown, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

The legendary singer turns 62 on Thursday. Last month, she won a Grammy Award for best traditional R&B vocal performance for "Wonderful" from her latest CD, "So Damn Happy."