Aretha Franklin will hold a candlelight vigil for Vandross

The mother of singer Luther Vandross has said he is improving every day after suffering a stroke.

Vandross, 52, who has a history of heart and weight problems, suffered a stroke three weeks ago and has been battling pneumonia since.

His mother, Mary, said the singer had been in "grave danger" after falling ill, but was now improving. He has not yet regained consciousness.

Ms Vandross said: "I feel that it is just a matter of time before he improves and to me, his appearance gets better daily".

He has to recover, he's all I have left, he's my last surviving child Mary Vandross

She has been visiting the singer every few days at his hospital in New York, according to the singer's website.

She said: "We play music for Luther all day long and we talk to him too. We play all his favourites - Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and we play his music too.

"He is going to recover and when he does, I want him to be greeted with a big success story. He has to recover, he's all I have left, he's my last surviving child," she told the site.

Ms Vandross also said human rights campaigner Jesse Jackson "calls almost every day to pray with me".

Fellow singer Aretha Franklin will hold a candlelight vigil and concert for Vandross on 19 May in Detroit.

Throat operation

The concert will feature gospel music as well as Franklin herself.

Vandross had battled weight problems that had seen him as heavy as 300 pounds. He also fought hypertension and diabetes.

But he had reportedly been in good health before the stroke.

Since having the stroke, Vandross has had a tracheotomy throat operation to fight off the pneumonia contracted in hospital.

Vandross has sold more than 20 million records during his career and won four Grammy awards in the 1990s.