Aretha Frankin, ‘Queen Of Soul,’ Dies At 76
• Aretha Franklin, rightly known as the Queen Of Soul,” died Thursday morning of pancreatic cancer at her home in Detroit, surrounded by her family. Franklin’s niece, Sabrina Owens confirmed the news to USA Today.
A family statement released by her publicist Gwendolyn Quinn said, “Franklin’s official cause of death was due to advance pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin’s oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute” in Detroit. Franklin’s family added, “In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family.”
Franklin was one of the transcendent cultural figures of the 20th Century. Raised on an eclectic musical diet of gospel, R&B, classical and jazz, she blossomed out of her father’s Detroit church, breaking boundaries while placing nearly 100 hits on Billboard’s R&B chart — 20 of them reaching No. 1.
Franklin’s voice was a singular force, earning her a multitude of laurels through the decades, including 18 Grammy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and honorary doctorates from a host of institutions. In 1987, she became the first female artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and seven years later, at age 52, the youngest recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor. She leaves a sprawling legacy of classic songs that includes “Respect,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools,” “Baby I Love You,” “Angel,” “Think,” “Rock Steady,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Freeway of Love,” along with a bestselling gospel catalog.
• For a more in-depth look at Ms. Franklin’s amazing life and career, we strongly suggest you read David Remnick‘s excellent New Yorker profile, and then re-watch Franklin’s riveting performance of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” during that magical December 2015 evening at the Kennedy Center Honors.
