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Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin Dies Aged 76

The 'Respect' legend passed away in Detroit...

Legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin has sadly died aged 76 in Detroit. In recent days, it had been reported that she had been seriously ill with her family by her bedside.

A family statement for the late singer says: “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.”

Known as ‘The Queen of Soul’, in her career Franklin won 18 Grammy awards, was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had a seven-decade spanning discography including anthems such as ‘Respect’, ‘Think’, ‘Say A Little Prayer’ and ‘I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)’.

Franklin was once awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W Bush and once reduced President Barack Obama to tears at a Kennedy Center Honours ceremony with her performance of ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’.

In 2010, the singer was diagnosed with cancer and retired from music last year.

An inspiration to countless musicians, tributes for Franklin have been flooding in on social media. On Instagram Elton John recounted her last ever performance: “I was fortunate enough to spend time with her and witness her last performance – a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation at St John The Divine Cathedral.

“She was obviously unwell, and I wasn’t sure she could perform. But Aretha did and she raised the roof. She sang and played magnificently, and we all wept. We were witnessing the greatest soul artist of all time.

He signed off: “The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen.”

Elsewhere tributes continue to arrive from stars across the generation divide from Annie Lennox to Chance The Rapper and more.

The world has lost a true icon. RIP Aretha.

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