Aretha Franklin has passed away

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, has passed away at her home in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 76. She had cancelled recent shows due to ill health, and was later reported to be seriously ill.

Franklin announced her partial retirement last year, saying she would release one last album. Her most recent performance was in November last year at Sir Elton John’s Aids Foundation’s 25th anniversary gala in New York.

Stevie Wonder and Reverend Jesse Jackson were among the stars to visit Franklin over recent days.

Following her signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as “Respect”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, “Spanish Harlem” and “Think”. By the end of the 1960s she had gained the title “The Queen of Soul”.

Franklin eventually recorded a total of 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries and 20 number-one R&B singles, becoming the most charted female artist in the chart’s history.

The 18-time Grammy winner, who got her start singing gospel as a child, starred in The Blues Brothers in 1980 and also featured in a number of documentaries.

She was a legend and she will be missed.