In this Nov. 9, 2005 file photo, President George W. Bush awards singer Aretha Franklin the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, the highest civilian award, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. A person close to Franklin said on Monday that the 76-year-old singer is ill. Franklin canceled planned concerts earlier this year after she was ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest up. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson, File)