Aretha Franklin Dies at 76

Aretha Franklin, the famed American singer known as the ‘Queen of Soul,’ has died at the age of 76 in her home in Detroit, Michigan. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer according to her publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn.

Ms. Franklin had unrivaled musical career, with 17 Top 10 pop singles and 20 No. 1 R&B hits, as well as 18 Grammy wins. She was awarded the lifetime achievement award 1994 and was the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. She sang at President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009 as well as at both the Democratic National Convention and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral in 1968. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2005, the nation’s highest civilian award.

Aretha Franklin is survived by her four sons, Clarence, Eddie, and KeCalf Franklin and Ted White, Jr., as well as grandchildren.

See Jon Pareles, Aretha Franklin, ‘Queen of Soul,’ Dies at 76, New York Times, August 16, 2018.