Aretha Louise Franklin, better known as “The Queen of Soul” was one of the greatest singers and pianist that ever stepped foot on this earth. She was a highly respected woman, a woman who carried herself with class, a mother of four, and a woman who always had the word of God in her heart.
Sadly, this amazing woman passed away at the age of 76 on August 16, 2018 due to pancreatic cancer, an illness she struggled with for years, after three days in hospice care at her Detroit home.
Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee in the year 1942. She grew up within the church and because her mother was a vocalist, the singing career path that Aretha would take was always in her vision and mind since birth.
At age 12 Aretha Franklin’s career really started to take off. Her father would be her manager and would take her on tour to perform in various churches to help her gain the exposure she needed to be a professional singer. Shortly afterwards, Aretha signed her first recording deal with J.V.B records, and soon came out with her first studio album “Songs of Faith” in 1956.
Aretha had the opportunity to travel across country due to her rise is the music world, this in turn gave her a chance to meet whom most call “The King of Soul” Sam Cooke. Sam Cooke helped Aretha Franklin’s career to take off even more than it already was. She has said on many occasions that Sam Cooke has had a big influence on her which in turn influenced her decisions within her career
In 1960 Aretha Franklin signed a big time contract with Columbia records. She would make records such as “Today I Sing the Blues” which hit top 10 in the Hot Rhythm and Blues sellers charts. In 1961 her song “Won’t Be Long” hit within the billboard 100 and reached number seven on the R&B chart. Her song “I Never Loved a Man (the way I loved you)” reached number one on the charts.
It’s easy to tell that Aretha Franklin had an amazing career. She’s one of the only artists to ever collect such a high number of Grammy awards, with a total of 18.
“Being the Queen is not all about singing, it has much to do with your service to people,” said Aretha.
And she didn’t just say these words, she lived by them, Aretha had a total of eleven charities that she provided money to. Some of the charities were made for causes such as physical and mental challenges, human rights, world hunger, disadvantaged youths, and much more. Her charitable work led her to receive many honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
Aretha Franklin was not only “The Queen of Soul” but a queen in everyday life. She’s an icon and an inspiration to many people. Though she is gone, her legacy, her life, her story, her beauty, her message, and her music, will never for one second be forgotten.
A memorial will be held for Aretha over the course of two days at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Michigan on August 28-29. This will be followed by a funeral on August 31 at the Greater Grace Temple which will be limited to friends and family. She will be buried alongside her family.
