Entertainment

Aretha Franklin cancels concerts due to doctor's orders

Aretha Franklin is cancelling two upcoming concerts on doctor's orders.

Queen of Soul told to rest for at least 2 months, according to management team

Aretha Franklin, seen here performing on the south lawn of the White House in 2016, is canceling upcoming concerts based on her doctor's orders. (Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press)

Aretha Franklin is cancelling two upcoming concerts on doctor's orders.

The Queen of Soul's management team said in a statement Friday that Franklin will not perform March 25 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, N.J. That show would have taken place on her 76th birthday. Franklin also won't appear April 28 at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

The statement says the singer "has been ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest completely for at least the next two months." It adds that Franklin is "extremely disappointed she cannot perform as she had expected and hoped to."

Last year, Franklin announced her plans to retire, saying she would perform at "some select things."