The queen of animal rights activism has reached out to the Queen of Soul’s estate for her fur coats.
Tracy Reiman, executive president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, sent a letter to Aretha Franklin‘s niece, Sabrina Garret Owens, on Friday requesting the coats so that PETA can donate them to be used as clothing for homeless people and as bedding for needy animals. Owens was appointed as the personal representative of the late singer’s estate.
In the letter, obtained by Page Six, Reiman wrote, “In the past, we’ve given donated fur coats—some coming from other wonderful women…to homeless shelters in the U.S. (including in Detroit) and to displaced refugees in Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Syria,” mentioning that furs that once belonged to Anjelica Huston, Mariah Carey, Kim Cattrall, Mary Tyler Moore and Sharon Osbourne have been donated.
Reiman added in a statement, “By donating Aretha Franklin’s fur coats to PETA, her family could expand her legacy of social justice to animals. While we can’t bring back the animals who suffered and died for them, these coats can help others by providing some much-needed warmth to orphaned animals and humans in desperate need.”
Franklin regularly donned fur coats varying in lengths, even while performing — including the epic moment when she dropped her coat as a grand finale during her performance at the Kennedy Center Honors dedicated to Carole King in 2015.
PETA, which pleaded with Franklin before her death to the ditch fur, told us the organization has yet to hear back from Franklin’s estate.
The “Natural Woman” singer passed away on August 16 and left no willbehind.