American soul vocalist, Aretha Franklin has passed away. Franklin has struggled undisclosed medical issues for quite a long while. She passed on at 76 years old. She had been slanting via web-based networking media this week, as fans petitioned God for her recuperation.
On Wednesday, in excess of 100 individuals purportedly assembled for a vigil at Detroit's New Bethel Baptist Church, which was established by Franklin's dad, the Rev. C.L. Franklin to appeal to God for her.
The incredible artist was determined to have growth in 2010 and reported a year ago she was resigning from music. Known for hits like Respect and Think, she had in excess of 20 US number ones over a profession spreading over seven decades.
She gave her last execution last November at a celebration in New York held in help of the Elton John Aids Foundation.
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. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.
Last year, Aretha Franklin announced a semi-retirement from live performance. In March, she canceled two upcoming concerts, citing doctor's orders to rest. In mid-August, it was reported that Franklin was “gravely ill.” Her last live performance took place in November 2017 at a fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
During her remarkable half-century career, Franklin broke boundaries, inspired millions, and changed the shape of popular music. In 2010, Rolling Stone named her the greatest singer of all time. In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis and raised in Detroit by a gospel singer mother and reverend father. Franklin and her sisters grew up singing in the church, and at age 14, she launched her recording career with the album Songs of Faith. In 1960, Franklin signed to Columbia and began making jazz-influenced R&B records, scoring one minor crossover hit with “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody.”
In 1966, she joined Atlantic. On her first single for the label, 1967’s classic “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You),” producer Jerry Wexler recorded her with Alabama’s Muscle Shoals session band. Plenty more hits followed for Franklin on Atlantic throughout the late ’60s and early ’70s: “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,” “Respect,” “Baby I Love You,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools,” “Think,” and more. During this period, Franklin delivered grittier vocals than during her years at Columbia and emerged as a soul music icon.
Around the same time, Franklin scored more hits by reinterpreting popular songs like Dionne Warwick’s “I Say a Little Prayer,” the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” and Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” She won the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy eight consecutive times from 1967 through 1974. (She won 18 Grammys throughout her life, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.) She sang at Martin Luther King’s funeral in 1968. In 1972, she had a huge success with the gospel double album Amazing Grace.
Franklin left Atlantic in 1979, but continued to make hits for Arista in the ’80s, including “Freeway of Love,” “Who’s Zoomin’ Who,” and “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” with George Michael. And her status as a national treasure continued to grow. She sang at the Presidential inaugurations of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, and also had a scene-stealing appearance in The Blues Brothers. In 1998, the same year she collaborated with Lauryn Hill on “A Rose Is Still a Rose,” she delivered a show-stopping performance at the Grammy Awards, standing in for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti to belt out the Puccini aria “Nessun Dorma.” In 2005, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In recent years, she worked with André 3000, covered Adele, and, memorably, brought President Obama to tears during a performance of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” in 2015.
At the time of her death, Franklin had reportedly been working on a final album, produced in part by Stevie Wonder.
