ADDS CIVIL RIGHTS MENTION IN GRAF 7; TRUMP REMARKS IN GRAFS 9-10
By Umar Farooq
WASHINGTON (AA) – Famed singer Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, died Thursday at her home in Detroit. She was 76.
The long-time singer and songwriter had a career spanning more than 60 years, in which she topped the music charts, being the most charted female artist in the U.S. for nearly four decades.
Her family released the following statement.
“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. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.
“We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers. We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. ”
Franklin died of a severe form of pancreatic cancer, Franklin's doctor confirmed to The Associated Press. The record breaking musician had been rumored to be ill for the past two years, in which she canceled two concerts, citing health reasons.
Franklin began her career at her father’s church where she sang gospel, but soon she turned away from Christian music and signed onto Columbia records before going to Atlantic records. She produced a number of record breaking hits including Respect, Chain of Fools and You Make Me Fell Like A Natural Woman. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Although she did note write the song, her rendition of Otis Redding’s Respect became the anthem of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
In 2005, President George Bush awarded Franklin the Presidential Medal of Freedom, an award that was given to other famous Americans including Muhammad Ali and artist Georgia O'Keefe.
President Donald Trump said she would be missed.
“The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, is dead. She was a great woman, with a wonderful gift from God, her voice. She will be missed! ” Trump said in a tweet.
Franklin is survived by her four children.
