Most people can recite Aretha Franklin’s greatest hits without thinking twice. Ask about Carl Ellan Kelley, though, and you’ll usually get a blank stare. She was Aretha’s half-sister, born into circumstances so painful — and so carefully hidden — that even the Franklin family didn’t fully acknowledge her for years.
Her story is one of the most overlooked chapters in one of America’s most celebrated musical families. Here’s the complete picture: her origins, the difficult path to finding her father, her quiet life of service, and the legacy she left behind long after the spotlight had moved elsewhere.
Who Was Carl Ellan Kelley?
Carl Ellan Kelley was born on November 17, 1940, in Memphis, Tennessee. She’s best known today as the half-sister of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul — but that single fact barely scratches the surface of who she actually was.
She didn’t grow up singing on stage or traveling with her famous father, Reverend C.L. Franklin. She was never photographed at civil rights rallies, never featured in a music documentary. Instead, she lived a quiet, private life — raising children, working as a nurse, and carrying the weight of a family secret that had followed her since birth.
Her birth name was Carl Ellan Jennings. She later became known as Carl Ellan Kelley, the name she carried through most of her adult life.
Her Early Life and the Circumstances of Her Birth
A secret that defined her beginning. The story of Carl’s birth isn’t an easy one to tell. Her mother, Mildred Jennings, was just 12 years old when Carl was born in 1940. Her father was Reverend C.L. Franklin, then the minister at New Salem Baptist Church in Memphis and already a rising figure in Black Baptist ministry. Mildred was a member of his congregation. The circumstances were troubling, and the family did everything it could to keep them quiet.
Because of the shame surrounding her birth, Carl wasn’t raised by either parent. Her grandmother, Mrs. Cornelious Mayo Hill Berry, took her in and raised her outside the Franklin household — away from the siblings she didn’t yet know she had.
Growing up away from the Franklin name. Carl always knew who her father was; that part was never a mystery. What she didn’t have was any relationship with him, or with the four children he was raising in Detroit with his wife, Barbara Siggers: Erma, Cecil, Aretha, and Carolyn Franklin.
She spent her childhood in a world completely separate from the Franklin name — without the gospel music, the church prominence, or the family bonds her half-siblings shared. The distance between her life and theirs was enormous, and it wasn’t an accident.
The Day She Reached Out to Her Father
Writing the letter at 17. When Carl was close to 17 or 18, she made the decision to contact Reverend C.L. Franklin directly. According to the biography Singing in a Strange Land by Nick Salvatore, Carl wrote to her father seeking acknowledgment — not money, not fame, just recognition.
Franklin’s response didn’t come directly from him. He first spoke with a minister and close associate, who urged him to acknowledge Carl as his daughter. The details of that conversation were never made fully public, but whatever was said, it worked.
The Franklin family’s reaction. When Carl eventually traveled to Detroit to meet her father and half-siblings, the reception was mixed. The Franklin children had no idea she existed, and learning their father had another daughter — under these particular circumstances — came as a shock.
One person stood out by welcoming her warmly: Rachel Franklin, known within the family as “Big Mama.” Her open arms gave Carl a sense of belonging she’d never had before. Reverend Franklin, for his part, gradually grew more comfortable with Carl after repeated visits. He never acknowledged her publicly from the pulpit and never addressed it with his Detroit or Memphis congregations — but he did let her into his life. When Carl later moved to New Orleans, he would sometimes have her by his side during church services. It wasn’t the fatherly relationship she may have hoped for, but it was something.
Carl Ellan Kelley and Her Siblings
The Franklin family tree. The Franklins remain one of the most musically gifted American families of the 20th century. Carl’s half-siblings through Reverend C.L. Franklin included:
- Erma Franklin — gospel and soul singer who recorded the original version of “Piece of My Heart”
- Aretha Franklin — one of the best-selling music artists in history, winner of 18 Grammy Awards
- Carolyn Franklin — singer and songwriter who co-wrote several of Aretha’s biggest tracks
- Cecil Franklin — followed his father into ministry
Carl also had half-siblings through other relationships of her father’s, including Clark E. Turner and Charles E. Jennings.
Her relationship with Aretha Franklin. Carl and Aretha never grew up together, so the closeness that comes from a shared childhood simply wasn’t there. By the time Carl entered the picture, Aretha had already become a mother and was building the music career that would define American soul.
The two women kept a quiet, respectful connection over the years — nothing splashed across tabloids, nothing discussed in interviews. But when Aretha Franklin wrote her will in 2014, she included Carl Ellan Kelley and left her $50,000. That single gesture said more than any public statement ever could. It was a private, financial acknowledgment of family.
Her Life Away From the Spotlight
A career built on caring for others. While her half-siblings were recording albums and filling arenas, Carl chose a completely different path. She built her career in nursing — a profession that put her in daily contact with people at their most vulnerable. Those who knew her described her as empathetic, dedicated, and genuinely committed to the people in her care.
Her time at the Boeing Company in Seattle is also remembered fondly by people who knew her personally. A former colleague wrote on her memorial page that they met during Carl’s career at Boeing and built a friendship that lasted for years, reconnecting again near the end of her life.
She moved between cities over the decades — spending time in New Orleans and Detroit before eventually settling in the Seattle area. These weren’t moves chasing celebrity or opportunity in entertainment. They were the quiet relocations of a woman building an ordinary life with real purpose.
Motherhood and family. Carl had children of her own: two sons, Herman E. Wheatley III and Charles G. Smith, and a daughter, Vivian Smith, who passed away before she did.
Her grandchildren — Alyssa, Rayden, Amaria, Herman IV, Justin, Tevin, and Detric — along with her great-grandchild, Ariya, were central to her later years. By every account, she was a devoted grandmother who made family the center of her life. Not fame. Not recognition. Not the complicated history she was born into.
The Passing of Carl Ellan Kelley
Carl Ellan Kelley passed away on January 30, 2019, at the age of 78, from complications related to heart disease. She had struggled with heart problems for some time before her death.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings Aretha Franklin, Reverend Cecil Franklin, Erma Franklin, Carolyn Franklin, Clark E. Turner, and Charles E. Jennings; and her daughter, Vivian Smith.
Her funeral was held in Memphis, Tennessee, the city where she was born. She was laid to rest in a cemetery in Seattle, where she’d spent much of her adult life. The service was attended by family and loved ones — a private farewell for a woman who had lived privately. She outlived all of her famous half-siblings, becoming the last of Reverend C.L. Franklin’s children to survive him.
Why Her Story Still Matters
People search for Carl Ellan Kelley’s name for different reasons. Some arrive through an interest in Aretha Franklin’s biography. Others come from the civil rights history surrounding Reverend C.L. Franklin. And some are simply looking for the fuller picture of a family that shaped American music.
But Carl’s story holds value entirely on its own terms. She was born into circumstances that could have defined her through pain alone. Her mother was a child. Her father was a public figure who didn’t acknowledge her for years. Her famous half-siblings grew up in a world she had no access to.
And yet she didn’t spend her life chasing any of it. She worked, raised children, cared for the sick, and built relationships that mattered to the people who knew her. She accepted what her sister offered without demanding more, and found her own way to belong to a family that had once kept her secret. That’s not a small thing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Carl Ellan Kelley
Who was Carl Ellan Kelley? Carl Ellan Kelley was the half-sister of Aretha Franklin and the daughter of Reverend C.L. Franklin and Mildred Jennings. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 17, 1940, she lived a private life as a nurse and mother, far from the public eye that surrounded her famous family. She passed away on January 30, 2019, at age 78.
How is Carl Ellan Kelley related to Aretha Franklin? They shared the same father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, making them half-sisters. Aretha’s mother was Barbara Siggers, while Carl’s mother was Mildred Jennings, a 12-year-old congregation member at Reverend Franklin’s church in Memphis.
Why wasn’t Carl Ellan Kelley raised by her parents? Her birth circumstances were kept quiet because of the scandal involved. Her mother was only 12 at the time of Carl’s birth, and her father was a prominent minister. Carl was raised instead by her grandmother, Mrs. Cornelious Mayo Hill Berry.
Did Aretha Franklin leave anything to Carl Ellan Kelley? Yes. When Aretha Franklin wrote her will in 2014, she included Carl Ellan Kelley and left her $50,000 — a meaningful acknowledgment of their family connection, even though the two women never had a conventional sister relationship growing up.
What did Carl Ellan Kelley do for a living? She worked as a nurse for a significant part of her life. She was also known for her time at the Boeing Company in Seattle, where she built lasting friendships with colleagues. Those who knew her described her as deeply caring and dedicated to helping others.
When did Carl Ellan Kelley first meet her father? She reached out to Reverend C.L. Franklin by letter at around 17 years old. He responded through an intermediary who urged him to acknowledge her, and she later traveled to Detroit, where she met her father and half-siblings for the first time.
Who welcomed Carl Ellan Kelley when she first came to Detroit? While several family members were caught off guard by her arrival, Rachel Franklin, known as “Big Mama,” welcomed Carl with warmth and openness — giving her a sense of belonging within a family she’d been separated from since birth.
Did Carl Ellan Kelley have children? Yes, three: sons Herman E. Wheatley III and Charles G. Smith, and a daughter, Vivian Smith, who passed away before Carl did. She also had several grandchildren and at least one great-grandchild.
What was Carl Ellan Kelley’s cause of death? She died from complications related to heart disease on January 30, 2019, at age 78, after struggling with heart problems for some time.
What is Carl Ellan Kelley’s legacy? Her legacy is one of quiet strength. Born into one of the most complicated and public family situations in American music history, she built a dignified private life, raised children, and served others through her nursing career. Aretha Franklin’s acknowledgment of her in a will confirmed that family bonds, however complicated, can endure.
The Quiet Chapter Behind a Famous Name
Carl Ellan Kelley lived in the shadow of one of the greatest voices in American music history, and she seemed at peace with that. She wasn’t chasing the spotlight. She built something different: a life grounded in service, family, and the kind of everyday dignity that never makes headlines.
Her connection to Aretha Franklin, Reverend C.L. Franklin, and the wider Franklin family will always shape how the world understands her. But the fuller picture of Carl Ellan Kelley is that of a woman who found her own way through circumstances that were never her fault, and never her choice.
