Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin dead at 76

Aretha Franklin, the long-reigning Queen of Soul, died on Thursday morning at her home in Detroit.

Last year, Aretha gave her last performance at a gala in NY held in aid of the Elton John Aids Foundation.

The soul and gospel legend Aretha Franklin has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer cancer.

In recent years, Aretha suffered from ill health and was forced to cancel a number of live shows.

The message in Aretha Franklin’s most famous song was one that resonated with her throughout her six decades in music.

At the Grammy Awards in 1972, where she won the fifth of her 18 trophies: A regal scarlet shawl embroidered with gold, swirled around her sturdy Afro.

“The entertainer famously caused then-President Obama to wipe tears from his eyes as she belted out a rousing rendition of “(You Make me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. One of the most successful musicians of all time, she placed 73 titles on Billboard’s Hot 100 and scored 100 entries on Billboard’s R&B singles chart, including 17 pop Top 10s and 21 R&B number one singles – an achievement that has made her the second most-charted female artist in USA history. “I will miss you!” Clear, natural, iconic voices.#ArethaFranklin #SmokeyRobinson #DonCornelius #SoulTrain #PrayersUp pic.twitter.com/oGLILbIl0N- Mario Lopez (@MarioLopezExtra) August 15, 2018Her music played in my house, at picnics, cookouts, parties, the auto daily as a child.

But never did her divadom stop her from stopping every show, regardless of the company.

“When I heard (she lip-synced) I just really cracked up”, she said.

Since the Hall of Fame has often been criticised for failing to honour female performers (almost 90% of its inductees are men), the fact she was first underscores the fact that Aretha is impossible to ignore – even in quarters where women are too often overlooked.

Franklin was born March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Detroit.

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me”, she sang.

“My treatments are going very well”, she continued.

The song became widely considered as a feminist and civil rights anthem, and today still remains one of her most beloved songs.

Her father was a Baptist preacher in Detroit, and the gospel singing she heard in his church was her musical foundation. She sold more than 75 million records and tallied 112 Billboard-charting singles. She also scored an worldwide number-one hit with “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”, her duet with George Michael.

The job of looking after the young Franklin fell to several women, including one who was known as the “greatest gospel singer in the world”, Mahalia Jackson.

She performed at the inauguration of the first black president of the United States, Barack Obama, in 2009 and also sang at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr., a close personal friend of her father.