Aretha Franklin, whose musical career spanned six decades, died on Thursday, August 16, according to a family statement. She was 76.
Her more than 100 chart hits, including “Respect” and “Think,” firmly established her as the undisputed “Queen of Soul.”
After a childhood of singing gospel music in Detroit, where her father was a minister, Franklin scored her first recording deal at age 18. In 1967 she signed with Atlantic Records, where she would record a string of hits. Everett CollectionFranklin performs on stage in 1968. Everett CollectionFranklin photographed with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the late 1960’s. In 1968 she was asked to perform at King’s funeral, where she sang a stirring rendition of ‘Precious Lord, Take Thy Hand.’
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Aretha Franklin performs at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 26, 1968.
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Aretha Franklin sits for a portrait with her father, Baptist preacher ‘CL’ (born Clarence LaVaughn), and her sister, fellow singer, Carolyn, in New York in 1971.
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Crowds gather for a performance by Franklin at the Apollo Theater in New York City on June 3, 1971.
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Franklin, far left, performs at Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Inaugural Gala on January 20, 1977, in Washington, D.C.
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Franklin and Glynn Turman walk down the aisle at their wedding on April 11, 1978. Editor’s note: A previous version of this caption identified Franklin’s husband as Glynn Russell. His full name is Glynn Russell Turman. Afro Newspaper/Gado/Getty ImagesFranklin on stage in 1980. Afro Newspaper/Gado/Getty ImagesDan Aykroyd (far left), John Belushi (second left), Aretha Franklin (center) and Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy (back right) in a scene from the 1980 film, ‘The Blues Brothers.’
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Franklin and Big Mama Thornton perform together onstage on the television series, ‘Omnibus,’ in 1980.
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Franklin poses backstage during ChicagoFest in 1981. Paul Natkin/Getty ImagesFranklin performs ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ with Keith Richards and Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones in 1986.
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Franklin sings at the Park West Auditorium in Chicago in 1992. Paul Natkin/Getty ImagesFranklin performs at the Lincoln Memorial for President Clinton’s inaugural gala in 1992.
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Franklin became the youngest Kennedy Center Honors Awards recipient in 1994. Mark Reinstein/Corbis Historical/Getty ImagesFranklin performs with, from left, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, Carole King (obscured), Shania Twain and Celine Dion during the ‘Divas Live – An Honors Concert for VH1 Save the Music’ at New York’s Beacon Theater in 1998.
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Franklin performs at a JVC Jazz Festival concert at New York’s Lincoln Center in 2000. Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images/Getty ImagesFranklin sings at civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks’ funeral in 2005. Bill Pugliano/Getty ImagesFormer President George W. Bush presented Franklin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2005. The medal is awarded to those who have made contributions to national security, world peace or culture. MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty ImagesFranklin and Aaron Neville performed the national anthem before the 2006 Super Bowl in Detroit.
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Franklin in 2008. Matt Sayles/APFranklin performed ‘My Country ‘Tis of Thee’ at the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009.
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Franklin at The NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner in 2009. Susan Tusa/Detroit Free Press/APMusician Rob Thomas, Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, actor Zach Levi, actress Jane Krakowski, singer Michael Buble and Franklin at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony in 2009. Bryan Bedder/Getty ImagesFranklin during a 2010 concert, accompanied by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (far left) at the piano and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
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Franklin and Oprah Winfrey during a star-studded taping of ‘Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular,’ in Chicago in 2011.
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After canceling six months of public appearances because of medical problems, Franklin returned to the stage at the Jones Beach Theater in New York in 2011.
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Franklin, seen on screen, at the ‘American Idol’ finale in 2013. Matt Sayles/Invision/APFranklin performs during the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in Washington, D.C. in 2013.
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Franklin waves while standing to receive an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Harvard University in 2014.
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An emotional Attorney General Eric Holder, center, and President Barack Obama react after Franklin finished singing a song for Holder at an event celebrating the end of his tenure at the Department of Justice in 2015. Jacquelyn Martin/APPope Francis looks on as Franklin performs during the 2015 Festival of Families in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Franklin performing in 2015 at the National Portrait Gallery, where she was honored.
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Franklin singing at a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York in 2017.
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Franklin and her son Kecalf Cunningham stand under a newly unveiled street sign named in her honor outside Detroit’s Music Hall in 2017.
