Aretha Franklin celebrated at Sunday service at father’s Baptist church in Detroit

Outside the imposing, pale brick church, mourners have hung helium balloons reading “You’re special”, bouquets of flowers, teddy bears and hand-written tributes to her legendary singing.

The brothers earned a Grammy Award with Franklin for the work the did together on a tribute album.

“Some singers, they compromise their racial and gender dignity to make hit records”, Jackson said – but not Franklin. Not just any blag: she told security she was Yolanda King, daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr.

If you have Spotify, scan this photo to access a playlist in honor of Aretha. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins knew no bounds. She gradually became a strong, symbolic voice of the civil rights movement, whose goal was securing equal legal rights for African Americans.

Franklin, who was widely known by only her first name, in true diva style, rose from singing gospel in her father’s church to regularly topping rhythm and blues and pop charts in the 1960s and 1970s. But to call her the greatest female singer is to ignore that in the view of so many she was the greatest singer, period. But she leaves a legacy of indelible anthems that resonated deeply with women by celebrating their strength and individuality – and demanding, well, just a little respect. In 1977, Franklin sang for Jimmy Carter at the Kennedy Center the night before his inauguration. Her final concert was an AIDS benefit with Elton John in New York City, Jackson said. It resides around the emotion our protagonist feels as she hears a particular song which reminds her of her lying lover.

Aretha Franklin grew up in 1950s Detroit, surrounded from childhood by the now-famous faces of the civil rights movement.

Taking on The Beatles may not have been as scary in 1970 as it would be today, but one person sure to be unphased by something so daunting would Aretha Franklin.She took it on with a natural aplomb and delivered a truly brilliant cover.

The Queen of Soul she defended her title for six decades, continually pushing her music into fresh places.

Godbee hailed her as a “freedom fighter” and credited her with the revival of the Motor City – the home of the U.S. auto industry that has turned a corner after years of economic depression and high crime. Many notable musicians and politicians have posted on Twitter about Franklin and how much she influenced them, including Diana Ross, another iconic black woman in the music industry. Another later example of this can be found in her interpretation of the Rolling Stones’ Jumpin’ Jack Flash in 1986, which was used as the theme tune for the Whoopi Goldberg film of the same name.

A fierce musical talent not only in sensitive and dynamic vocal interpretation but also as a skilled pianist and arranger, Franklin demanded respect from us.