Aretha Franklin was reportedly hospitalized. Now, the Queen of soul died at the age of 76.
This was revealed by the family through a statement released on Thursday (16/8). Aretha Franklin died at the age of 76 years.
"Aretha Franklin died of advanced stage pancreatic cancer, which was confirmed directly by Dr. Philip Phillips of the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit," the family said as quoted by CNN.
"In this difficult time, we cannot find the right words to express the sorrow we feel. We have lost a leader in our family. The affection he gave to children, grandchildren, nieces, and cousins was absolutely limitless," he said
Aretha Franklin was declared dead at 9:50 a.m. at her residence in Detroit. The musician has been reported to have contracted the disease for years.
Since 2017, Aretha Franklin decided to stop the concert tour around the world, she last appeared on stage in November 2017, at the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York.
Born in Memphis but raised in Detroit, Franklin began singing in church as a youngster – her father was a Baptist minister – and during her lifetime crossed multiple music lines. Known for her soul recordings, she also shone at R&B, jazz, blues and gospel music and was a songwriter and pianist as well as a singer.
Over the course of her career, Franklin received multiple honors, including The National Medal of Arts and The Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In January 2009, she sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee" at the inauguration of President Barack Obama and her much-commented-on, oversized gray bow hat subsequently made its way to the Smithsonian Museum.
Franklin was born on March 25, 1942 to Rev. C. L Franklin and his wife Barbara, but her parents split shortly after moving to Detroit when she was 6. Her father was a popular preacher and she grew up with gospel greats like Albertina Walker and Mahalia Jackson visiting her home.
By 14, Franklin had released her first album, "Songs of Faith," and began touring on the gospel circuit until she became a teenage mother of two sons.
By 18, she had signed with Columbia Records and moved to New York, where her talents quickly brought her fame — and a title. In 1965, during a show, the M.C. gave her a crown and declared her the "Queen of Soul."
Switching to the Atlantic label in 1967, Franklin's second single was "Respect," probably her most acclaimed work (the lyric "r-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to me" reportedly began as a Franklin ad-lib).
Other hits that followed included "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Chain of Fools," "Call Me," and the 1972 gospel album "Amazing Grace."
In all, she won 18 Grammy awards, beginning with Best Rhythm and Blues Recording for "Respect" in 1968 and ending with Best Gospel-Soul Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Never Gonna Break My Faith" with Mary J. Blige in 2008.
Franklin was married twice, to Ted White, who became her personal manager, and to actor Glynn Turman. She also had a seven-year relationship with her road manager, Ken Cunningham.
She was the mother of four sons: Clarence, Edward, Ted and Kecalf.
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