Aretha Franklin, universally acclaimed as the “Queen of Soul” and one of America’s greatest singers, passed away on Thursday at 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit. She was 76.
Her longtime publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn, said the official cause was advanced pancreatic cancer.
Ms. Franklin was known for bringing the righteous fervor of gospel music to secular songs that went beyond the surface genre of romance. Hits like “Do Right Woman — Do Right Man,” and “Think,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” were all songs that defined a modern female who was not only sensual and strong, but loving yet not to be taken for granted.
One of Ms. Franklin’s most famous songs, “Respect,” was a about a demand for equality and freedom as much as it was a herald of feminism. Throughout her celebrated career, Ms. Franklin placed more than 100 singles on the Billboard charts, including 17 Top 10 pop singles and 20 No. 1 R&B hits. She also received 18 competitive Grammy Awards, a lifetime achievement award in 1994, and was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in 1987.
Ms. Franklin was also known for being part of historical moments throughout the United States’ history. She sang at the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009, at pre-inauguration concerts for Jimmy Carter in 1977 and Bill Clinton in 1993, and at both the Democratic National Convention and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral in 1968.
“Aretha helped define the American experience,” former President Barack Obama said in a statement. “In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade — our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace.”
Sam Moore, legendary soul singer and Franklin’s friend of more than sixty years, also offered words of sorrow and comfort.
“I adored her and I know the feelings were mutual. While I’m heartbroken that she’s gone I know she’s in the Lord’s arms and she’s not in pain or suffering anymore from the damn cancer that took her away from us,” he said in a statement. “I’m going to hope, pray and count on the fact that I will see her again sometime. Rest in the Lord’s arms in love, Re.”
Fans of Ms. Franklin paid tribute to the soul singer with flowers. A crown was also left on her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in Los Angeles.
By: Maytinee Kramer
