Alas, it looks like the Queen of Soul will continue to rule alone for the time being: Aretha Franklin and her intended fiancé, William “Willie” Wilkerson, announced yesterday that they were calling off their engagement.

News came out on January 3rd that the two lifelong friends were going to tie the knot sometime over the summer. They planned to exchange vows on Miami Beach before having an exclusive reception aboard a private yacht, and Aretha had even gone so far as to start hunting for the perfect wedding dress (Donna Karan, Valentino, and Vera Wang topped the list of designers).

According to People, however, Aretha released the following statement yesterday, just three weeks after the initial announcement:

"Regretfully, To Our Friends and Supporters: Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast, and there were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly. There will be no wedding at this time."

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"We will not comment on it any further because of the very personal and sensitive nature of it. We appreciate all of the many well wishes from friends."

The statement was signed "Aretha and Will."

We’re not going to pry too much into it out of respect for the couple’s wish for privacy. No word on whether they’re still a romantic item, but we certainly hope they’re not dissolving their friendship or anything. Aretha has called Willie her “forever friend” in the past; let’s hope it’s still true!

Lucia Peters is BettyConfidential’s associate editor.