Soul queen Aretha Franklin has been forced to pull out of attending the late Whitney Houston's funeral today (February 18) on doctor's orders. 

The 'Respect' icon was due to perform a rendition of 'The Greatest Love Of All' at this afternoon's service at the New Hope Baptist Church in Houston's native Newark, but a represenative for her explained that ongoing health issues have prevented her from appearing and she is also now unable to sing at the memorial. 

A statement from Franklin confirms: "Regretfully I cannot attend (Houston)'s funeral... I was up until 4am with leg spasms... My heart goes out to Cissy, Bobbi Kristina, Dionne (Warwick) and the rest of the family."

Other celebrities set to attend the memorial service, which is currently being streamed online, include Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys.