Legendary Singer Aretha Franklin Dead At 76

Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul has left us.

At the age of 76, legendary soul/R&B singer Aretha Franklin passed away early Thursday due to advanced pancreatic cancer.

Earning an astonishing 20 Grammy Awards, the Detroit-based Franklin indelibly shared her singular vocal style and power with an adoring audience with hit songs like "Respect," "Chain of Fools," "Think" and "Spanish Harlem."

An LGBTQ ally, she became one of the earliest A-list divas to sing at a same-sex wedding back in 2011.

Kevin Phinney wrote for Metrosource, "For any gay, lesbian or marginalized person of any stripe, 'Respect' was much more than a sturdy slice of soul that could crowd a dance floor: It was an act of defiance, a declaration of pride, and a promise to the world and the person in the mirror to never settle for second-class treatment ever again."

Franklin’s last performance was at Elton John’s annual AIDS Foundation gala in November 2017.

More from The Hollywood Reporter:

Aretha Franklin, the sensational songbird whose voice was sweeter than honey to millions, making her an inspirational American icon and one of the most admired vocalists of all time, died on Thursday at her home in Detroit after battling advanced pancreatic cancer, her publicist confirmed to the Associated Press. She was 76.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, but raised in the Motor City, Franklin was firmly rooted in gospel but also excelled in the worlds of jazz, R&B and pop. She collected 20 Grammys — including a lifetime achievement award — covering a span of four decades; was the first woman enshrined into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in 1987); and, befitting a queen, was named No. 1 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.

She sold more than 75 million records worldwide, according to one estimate, and had 10 Top Ten hits in a roughly 18-month stretch beginning in early 1967. A tireless road warrior, Franklin also sold millions of concert tickets, almost always arriving to shows in her custom bus (she had a fear of flying).

Franklin’s signature song, the 1967 smash “Respect” for her first album for Atlantic Records, became a battle cry for the feminist and civil rights movements. Recorded two years earlier by Otis Redding from a man’s point of view, her righteous reworking pushed “Groovin’ ” by The Young Rascals from the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

It's worth noting that in 1987, Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And deservedly so.

Let's celebrate just a few of my Aretha favorites throughout the years.

RIP Aretha Franklin.

Marianne Williamson On Aretha Franklin & The Music Of Our Lives

Aretha Franklin

Ruminating on the news that the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin is gravely ill, Marianne Williamson shared this thoughtful and delicate essay on the music of our lives and the joy it brings.

This has turned out to be a sacred night, as millions of souls are saying to others, “Did you hear that Aretha is dying?” There’s the quiet hush of a collective deathwatch, as we throw our prayers to God that they might be roses on her path.

I once read that no matter how old you are, the music of your youth is the music of your soul. To say Aretha Franklin’s is the music of my soul is to vastly understate her effect upon my life. Hers was more than the music of my soul; she was in many ways the opener of my soul, a light on my path, a goddess who chanted what I could not chant and cooed what I could not coo and howled from the depths that I had not yet reached.

How I remember, as a woman in my 20s, the sacred rite of opening a new Aretha album, putting it on the turntable and sitting for hours just listening.

To this day, I know her phrases and notes, I have lived inside them, I remember the tears of both joy and sorrow for which they have been the soundtrack of my life. She opened me and guided me, she uplifted me and soothed me, she accompanied me and spoke for me.

While I never met her, she was one of the loves of my life. To have even lived at a time when she was singing to us - for what more could anyone ask?

And while I cry as I write this, it is not for her. Such preparations must be happening now, such trumpets and harps must be tuning up, such angels even now must be singing her home.

How does one say thank you to such a soul as she?

Dear God, please bless your phenomenal daughter. And thank you for lending her genius to us.

May she know the joy of a million smiles, for such joy she gave to us. Amen.

Aretha Franklin, Queen Of Soul, Reported To Be "Gravely Ill"

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin, the undisputed Queen of Soul, is reported to be "gravely ill" and surrounded by close family members.

From IHeartRadio:

Franklin, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, turned 76 in March. Her last performance was on November 2, 2017 for the Elton John AID Foundation in New York and her public performance occurred at the Philadelphia’s Mann Center last August.

Franklin has struggled with weight issues throughout her life and has battle alcoholism and was a chain smoker for a large part of it.

Rolling Stone once named Franklin the number 1 singer of all time. The American singer and songwriter began her career while still a child singing gospel music at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where her father was a minister.

In 1960, Franklin was signed to Columbia Records where she only achieved modest success. It wasn't until she signed with Atlantic Records in 1967 that she acheived commercial success with songs like "Respect," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and "Think." By the end of the 1960s, she had become known as the "Queen of Soul."

(image via Flickr/Joe Ortuzar - CC license)

Aretha Franklin's Electrifying Performance Of "Natural Woman" At 2015 Kennedy Center Honors

Aretha Franklin sings "Natural Woman" at 2015 Kennedy Center Honors

Yes, everything you heard about Aretha Franklin's performance of "Natural Woman" in a salute to Carole King at the Kennedy Center Honors last night is true.

Aretha's electrifying performance brought the house down resulting in an instantaneous standing ovation. And for good reason.

Wait for the moment when she drops her fur coat like a boss. #Killer #AllHailTheQueen

Aretha Franklin Does Not Suffer Bad Interviews Lightly

Aretha Franklin, promoting her new album Aretha Franklin Sings The Great Diva Classics, embarked on a satellite tour of local news broadcasts.

For those not familiar, artists or actors will often sit down for a few hours in a studio and, with a tight schedule, do dozens of interviews from one location as opposed to traveling for the same effect. And, as many know, Aretha does NOT fly on airplanes. So it would seem this would be the perfect way for her to get several interviews out of the way in one fell swoop.

However, with a audio delay, low volume in her earpiece and only four hours of sleep, I'm not so sure this was the most successful round of interviews Ms. Franklin has given.

She had to ask what questions were being put to her, and at one point she had to ask for music to be turned down so she could hear...

The Queen had no time for such shenanigans :)

Aretha Franklin sings "Rolling In The Deep"

Yesterday, I posted an advance recording of Aretha Franklin's first single - Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" - from her upcoming album.  And she sounds fab!

Aretha sang the single last night on David Letterman, and also chatted about her one chance to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show but was cut from the broadcast, in part because her gown's neckline was "too low."

By the way - it's almost impossible to watch Aretha sing during her performance without noticing one of her backup singers (who I think is Cissy Houston, Whitney's mother) who looks so lethargic and unhappy to be there. Watch - you'll see.

(h/t JMG)

New Music: Aretha Franklin Covers "Rolling In The Deep"

Aretha Franklin will release an album Oct. 21 covering classic songs from other female singers.

The first single from Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics is a fantastic version of Adele's hit "Rolling In the Deep," which also throws in a little mashup surprise chorus from another famous diva.

The single hits all major digital download outlets tonight. And make sure to catch the Queen of Soul singing the track on David Letterman tonight.

The rest of the collection looks like:

• Gladys Knight's "Midnight Train to Georgia"
• Barbra Streisand's "People"
• Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman"
• The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
• Alicia Keys' "No One"
• Dinah Washington's "Teach Me Tonight"
• Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" (with a touch of Destiny's Child's "Survivor")
• Etta James' "At Last"
• Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U"

Take a listen to "Rolling In The Deep" below and check out the pre-order on Amazon here.

Aretha Franklin looking to become "queen" of American Idol

Aretha Franklin is the latest big name rumored to replace Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler as a judge on American Idol.

According to the NY Daily News:

ARETHA FRANKLIN might not rock the same mini-skirts as Jennifer Lopez if she took over the sultry singer’s judging chair on “American Idol,” but she could certainly bring more R-E-S-P-E-C-T to the show, which has seen its ratings decline. Franklin expressed her interest in the role as one of the reality show’s judges, reportedly in response to an email query, and a source close to the 70-year-old said she’s “seriously gunning for it now that it’s crossed her mind.”

The rumor mill continues to churn on overload with daily celebrity names being tossed in the hat for the judging positions.