RIP “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin 1942-2018

Aretha Franklin, born in 1942, passed away at the age of 76 , at her home surrounded by her family in Detroit. She was the preacher’s daughter with a powerful voice, which made her the “Queen of Soul”. According to the statement issued by her family, “Official cause of death was due to advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin’s oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit”.
She performed “Natural Woman” at the Kennedy Center Honors in December 2015, that left former U.s president Obama in tears. Her last live performance was on 7th November, 2017, for the Elton John AIDS Foundation gala in New York.

Aretha Franklin has to her credit that she was the first woman admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 1987. She won 18 Grammy Awards, and has 88 Billboard Chart hits during her incredible rock era. She also had some 25 gold records. Rolling Stone magazine in 2010 named her the No. 1 singer of the rock era.

Aretha Franklin is an icon; whose music became the anthem for social change in the United States of America. She was active in the U.S. civil rights movement and sang at the funeral of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr in 1968.

She is the only singer who sang at the inauguration of two U.S presidents Bill Clinton and Barak Obama. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.

Franklin dominated the early 70’s music scene in America as she had ruled the music charts with “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” “Baby, I Love You,” “Chain of Fools,” “Think,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Do-Right Woman” and “Respect,” a cover of a Redding tune that also became a song of empowerment during the civil rights era.
Her popularity was revived in the mid 80’s with songs like “Freeway of Love,” a duet with George Michael named “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves,” “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” and a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”

Messages keep pouring in all over the social media, as people pay their respect and tributes to the “Queen of Soul”.

She passed away on the same day of August 16th,  in 1977 we lost the king of Rock & Roll Elvis Presley.