Some people may be surprised to know that the late Aretha Franklin was once married to legendary actor, Glynn Turman. Franklin and Turman, who did not have children together, married in 1978, separated in 1982, and divorced in 1984.

We, Old Schoolers, know Turman for his role as “Leroy ‘Preach’ Jackson,” in the 1975 classic, Cooley High; or for playing the role of math professor and retired Army colonel, “Bradford Taylor,” on the NBC sitcom, A Different World. Turman is also known for his roles as “Lew” on the prime-time soap opera Peyton Place. In speaking with People magazine, Glynn Turman opened up about his final moments with the former love of his life, Aretha Franklin.

Glynn Turman Was Able To Get Closure With His Ex-Wife, Aretha Franklin:

As news spread that the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, was gravely ill, people all over the world began to pray. Not only was Franklin surrounded by her family members at that time, she was visited by famous friends like Stevie Wonder, Jesse Jackson, and her second husband, Glynn Turman.

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Glynn Turman And Aretha Franklin Were Married For 6 Years:

In exclusively speaking to People, Glynn Turman opened up about his fond memories with Aretha Franklin. While we knew the Queen as a woman with a beautiful voice, Turman knew her as a beautiful woman who was a wife, mother, and one of his best friends. Despite the fact that they were divorced, Turman shared that they remained friends who spoke over the years. Turman jokingly shared that Franklin was stubborn and she was fighting for her life up to the very end.

“I felt her pulse holding her frail, frail arm,” [Glynn Turman] stated about his final moments with Franklin, whom he called the “love of my life.” I was able to feel her pulse, which was strong. So she was fighting ’til the very end, he stated of the star, who died of pancreatic cancer at age 76. She’s always been a warrior — a strong, strong woman and a fighter. Her pulse told me that she was not in surrender mode. She was going to fight it ’til the end.”

While Aretha Franklin was unable to speak during their visit, Turman shared that she was conscious and aware of his presence. It was a beautiful moment as it provided closure for the former Hollywood couple.

“She did know that I was there,” Turman said. “And we were able to feed off of that recognition, feed off of the moment of both sort of realizing that time was extremely precious at this time. So it was a moment full of closure.”

It’s unclear why the couple chose to divorce, but they truly loved each other. Turman shared that he reflected on the good times with Franklin, as there were many.

“The good times were wonderful. The things we were able to share, things we were able to do together, the concerts that we were able to share,” Turman recalled. “People think of her often as an iconic singer, an iconic performer, but they don’t necessarily remember that she was a mother and a wife and someone’s lover,” he added. “There was that part that I’m glad I got to know about.”

Turman shared that he loved Franklin’s fighting spirit, her great sense of humor, as well as her independence. She was called the Queen for a reason…Aretha Franklin was not one to conform.

“She was hilarious,” Turman shared. She had a roster of jokes and could make funny situations out of situations that you wouldn’t think … were funny. At the same time, Franklin was “stubborn, stubborn as hell,” he added. “Women’s Rights Movement should have her name written all over. She just didn’t take tea for the fever, as the old folks would say. She was stubborn and hard to persuade. When she got her mind made up on something, you might as well pretty much forget trying to change it.”

Thankful for their time together, Turman shared that Aretha Franklin died knowing that she was loved by him and by the world.

The post Aretha Franklin’s Ex-Husband, Glynn Turman, Shared Their Emotional Last Visit Before Her Death appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

As a legendary actor, Glynn Turman has always had the ability to connect with his audience and make us truly feel whatever pains or grief he was acting out, much like he did in the movie Cooley High when “Cochise” died. The thing we now know is that his ability to connect probably stems from a pain that no parent should ever know- the pain of losing a child.

In 1986, Glynn’s son, Glynn Turman Jr., was violently murdered over nonsense. We know that there are far too many people who have lost children through violence, illnesses, or simply accidents. We understand that while nothing can eliminate that type of pain, hearing the story of someone else who has gone through it as well, can help and for those of us who haven’t experienced that kind of pain, we can still learn something from Glynn Turman’s story. So, here are the details of what happened to Glynn Jr. on the day he met his tragic fate.

Details Of Death Of Glynn Turman’s Son

Above is a photo of Glynn Turman Sr. and his then-wife Aretha Franklin pictured with Glynn Sr.’s children- Glynn Jr. (far right) and daughter; and Aretha’s son, Kecalf. Below are the details that were reported at the time of Glynn Turman Jr.’s passing:

Associated Press, November 25, 1986 – The [son of Glynn Turman] was stabbed to death and another man was wounded during a fight in the parking lot of a beachside restaurant, police said…
Glynn Turman Jr., 21, son of actor Glynn Turman and stepson of [Aretha] Franklin, was pronounced dead Sunday night at Santa Monica Hospital, police Detective Ray Cooper said.
Police arrested Henry Eugene Montgomery, 19, of Los Angeles, and held him for investigation of murder and attempted murder.
Todd Daniels, 20, of New York also was injured during the fight, but he was treated at the hospital and released.
The fight erupted after Turman and Daniels allegedly made derogatory remarks about a woman accompanying Montgomery in the parking lot of The Lobster restaurant, a landmark eatery next to the Santa Monica Pier.
”Two males were seen running from the scene,” police Lt. Tom Mapes said. ”Investigation led to the arrest of Montgomery. A juvenile with him was released when it was determined he took no part in the stabbing.”

Sadly, the more things change they stay the same, the age old disputes of men having deadly altercations over a female is one that has been around for ages and will continue, until hopefully we can learn to settle our disputes the old school way- with our fists ONLY.

It was a coward move for that guy to pull a knife on Turman’s son, instead of fighting him straight up like a man. But one thing that can’t go unnoticed is the strength that Glynn Turman displayed by continuing to push forward for his other two children and loved ones. At the time of Glynn Jr.’s death, Glynn Sr. found a way to continue working through his pain, appearing in several TV shows soon after his son’s passing, such as Matlock and Murder She Wrote.

Celebrities are always expected to be ‘on’ without any real leniency in the public’s eye to be a real person who goes through real-life situations that affect us all. Hopefully Glynn Turman eventually had the time to properly grieve his son away from the cameras and fans. Glenn Jr. was a young man taken from this earth over a senseless act of violence by a coward.

The post Glynn Turman’s Son Died A Senseless Violent Death Years Ago, So Sad appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

As a legendary actor, Glynn Turman has always had the ability to connect with his audience and make us truly feel whatever pains or grief he was acting out, much like he did in the movie Cooley High when “Cochise” died. The thing we now know is that his ability to connect probably stems from a pain that no parent should ever know- the pain of losing a child.

In 1986, Glynn’s son, Glynn Turman Jr., was violently murdered over nonsense. We wanted to share this story because after talking with many of our ILOSM family on our Facebook page, we’ve learned that there are far too many of us who have lost our children through violence, illnesses, or simply accidents. We understand that while nothing can eliminate that type of pain, hearing the story of someone else who has gone through it as well, can help and for those of us who haven’t experienced that kind of pain, we can still learn something from Glynn Turman’s story. So here are the details of what happened to Glynn Jr. on the day he met his tragic fate.

The [son of Glynn Turman] was stabbed to death and another man was wounded during a fight in the parking lot of a beachside restaurant, police said Monday.
Glynn Turman Jr., 21, son of actor Glynn Turman and stepson of [Aretha] Franklin, was pronounced dead Sunday night at Santa Monica Hospital, police Detective Ray Cooper said.
Police arrested Henry Eugene Montgomery, 19, of Los Angeles, and held him for investigation of murder and attempted murder.
Todd Daniels, 20, of New York also was injured during the fight, but he was treated at the hospital and released.
The fight erupted after Turman and Daniels allegedly made derogatory remarks about a woman accompanying Montgomery in the parking lot of The Lobster restaurant, a landmark eatery next to the Santa Monica Pier.
”Two males were seen running from the scene,” police Lt. Tom Mapes said. ”Investigation led to the arrest of Montgomery. A juvenile with him was released when it was determined he took no part in the stabbing.”

Sadly, the more things change they stay the same, the age old disputes of men having deadly altercations over a female is one that has been around for ages and will continue, until hopefully we can learn to settle our disputes the old school way- with our fists ONLY.

It was a coward move for that guy to pull a knife on Turman’s son, instead of fighting him straight up like a man.

But one thing that can’t go unnoticed is the strength that Glynn Turman displayed by continuing to push forward for his other two children and loved ones. At the time of Glynn Jr.’s death, Glynn was married to Aretha Franklin and he found a way to continue working through his pain, appearing in several TV shows soon after his son’s passing, such as Matlock and Murder She Wrote.

Celebrities are always expected to be ‘on’ without any real leniency in the public’s eye to be a real person who goes through real-life situations that affect us all. Hopefully Glynn Turman eventually had the time to properly grieve his son away from the cameras and fans. Glenn Jr. was a young man taken from this earth over a senseless act of violence by a coward.

The post Glynn Turman’s Son (Aretha’s Ex-Stepson) Died A Senseless Violent Death Years Ago…So Sad appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

In 1986, Glynn’s son, Glynn Turman Jr., was violently murdered over nonsense. We wanted to share this story because after talking with many of our ILOSM family on our Facebook page, we’ve learned that there are far too many of us who have lost our children through violence, illnesses, or simply accidents. We understand that while nothing can eliminate that type of pain, hearing the story of someone else who has gone through it as well, can help and for those of us who haven’t experienced that kind of pain, we can still learn something from Glynn Turman’s story. So here are the details of what happened to Glynn Jr. on the day he met his tragic fate.

The post Glynn Turman’s Son Died A Senseless Violent Death Years Ago…So Sad appeared first on I Love Old School Music.