C. L. Franklin

Biography

Clarence LaVaughn Franklin (né Walker; January 22, 1915 – July 27, 1984) was an American Baptist minister and civil rights activist. Known as the man with the "Million-Dollar Voice", Franklin served as the pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit from 1946 until 1979, when in a suspected robbery attempt he was shot twice and spent his remaining five years in a coma. Franklin was the father of the American singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin. He was also the father of five other children: Vaughn Franklin, Erma Franklin, Cecil Franklin, Carolyn Franklin and Carol Ellan.

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