Aretha Franklin Celebrates Her 72nd Birthday With Denzel Washington & Clive Davis

The fellas love Aretha Franklin: Denzel Washington helped the Queen of Soul celebrate her 72nd birthday in style, and Andre 3000 and Babyface are working on new music for the icon.

Franklin held an exclusive and small party Saturday in New York City for her birthday, which is on Tuesday. Washington entered the Ritz-Carlton Hotel quietly, though the crowd got excited after realizing it was the Oscar winner under a baseball cap.

Franklin thanked the actor for attending. Just hours earlier, she saw him onstage in the Broadway play, "A Raisin In the Sun."

Her longtime musical collaborator, Clive Davis, also attended.

The singer was all smiles at the event. She said in an interview that she's working on new music with rapper Andre 3000 and singer-songwriter Babyface.

"Babyface is working on the tracks," she said.

He's also guest starring with Toni Braxton in the Broadway musical "After Midnight," which celebrates Duke Ellington's years at the Cotton Club nightclub in Harlem. Their stints in the show run through March 30.

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