‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin dies at 76 of pancreatic cancer
Her bell-clear voice with its four octaves found its way into the styles of stars such as Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, through to Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Amy Winehouse
Raised on gospel, bathed in rhythm and blues and fluent in jazz and pop, Aretha Franklin came to be known as the “Queen of Soul” through seven decades of electrifying performances.
From her father’s church to the hallowed grounds of the US Capitol, Franklin sang for parishioners and presidents and left her mark on music fans everywhere.
Franklin died on Thursday in Detroit after succumbing to pancreatic cancer. Family and friends had gathered around her during her final days, her publicist told US media. She was 76.
Perhaps best known for the vocal power behind her feminist-tinged cover of Otis Redding’s Respect, Franklin was an inspiration for two generations of pop divas.
Her bell-clear voice with its four octaves found its way into the styles of stars such as Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston – whose mother, Cissy Houston, was a backup singer for Franklin – to Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Amy Winehouse.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 25, 1942 to C.L. Franklin, a prominent Baptist preacher, and Barbara Siggers Franklin, Aretha Louise Franklin grew up singing gospel in her father’s New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.
Her first recording – Spirituals – came out on a local label in 1956 when she was just 14 years old. She signed with Columbia records in 1960, releasing her first album “The Great Aretha Franklin”.