Aretha Franklin appears significantly slimmer in new photo after announcing retirement

Aretha Franklin appears significantly slimmer in a new backstage photo that emerged on Instagram this week.

After reportedly battling a tumour in 2010 and being sidelined from a number of shows in recent years, the Queen of Soul emerged last weekend for a concert in Nashville.

Upscale Magazine posted a backstage pic of the singer, who not only has a new hairstyle but appears to have lost an astounding amount of weight since her last public appearance.

Eager fans welcomed her back to the stage with open arms in Tennessee as she sang some of her greatest hits, proving her voice clearly hasn’t changed one bit.

The 75-year-old is currently midway through what she says will be her final concert tour, having battled undisclosed health problems in recent years.

"I will be retiring this year,” Aretha told Detroit radio station WDIV Local 4 earlier this year. “I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it."

Her album will feature all original songs, some of which will be produced by Stevie Wonder. And, every song will be recorded in Detroit, where Aretha was raised from age 5.

"I feel very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from, and where it is now," she told the radio station. "I’ll be pretty much satisfied, but I’m not going to go anywhere and just sit down and do nothing. That wouldn’t be good either.

"This isn’t necessarily a permanent goodbye."

We certainly hope not.