Aretha Franklin, whose gospel-rooted singing and bluesy yet expansive delivery earned her the title “the Queen of Soul,” died this morning in her Detroit, Michigan, home. She was 76.
We’re wrapping up our live coverage, but if you’re looking for more on Franklin’s life and career, you can…
Fans have gathered at Aretha Franklin’s star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame to pay their respects to the singer. A memorial is growing at the star, with mourners placing flowers and photos near it.
CNN talked to some of those fans, and what Franklin means to them:
Reesha Archibald: “I think she left a strong legacy of really being a real musician … and she’s an activist, too, so I think she left a legacy of using your platform for good, using your platform for touching people … and I’m just so blessed to be able to have lived while she lived.”
Alphonso Buie: “She talks about what’s going on in the times, whether it’s civil rights or just about being a person trying to deal with life, love and happiness. I think she really relates to people on those levels. She sang about things that weren’t necessarily popular. You weren’t supposed to sing about heartbreak or being in love with someone who’s in love with someone else … I think that’s how she’s able to relate and span across different cultures … It’s a beautiful thing — music — I think it’s the universal language and that’s how she’s able to relate.”
Lois (who did not give her last name): “Her voice just touched everybody. When I think about it, I get chills on my arms. And her song ‘A Natural Woman’ — that’s exactly what she was.”
Irish rock band U2 took to Twitter to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin, hours after the iconic singer’s death.
“R.E.S.T.I.N, civil rights activist, Queen of Soul, thank you from Bono, The Edge, Larry and Adam,” U2 tweeted.
Gospel singer CeCe Winans remembered music legend Aretha Franklin’s dedication to Detroit and her roots in church music.
In a statement, Winans said Franklin “left a mark that cannot be erased.”
Read her statement:
Music legend Aretha Franklin once entertained the idea of becoming a judge on “American Idol” and had her own record label.
Here are a few other things you might not have know about Franklin:
Music legend Aretha Franklin’s performance at former President Barack Obama’s inauguration in January 2009 captured a historic moment in America — the US had just elected its first African-American president.
Franklin belted “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” as Obama, his family and others watched.
While the performance riveted onlookers, Franklin later went on to tell then-CNN host Larry King that she was not pleased with her singing. She said the cold weather affected her voice.
And about that hat: Franklin told King she got the bow-style hat at a millinery in Detroit.
Watch a portion of her performance:
Fans flocked to the Hollywood Walk of Fame today to pay tribute to the late music legend Aretha Franklin.
Flowers, photographs and other mementos adorned Franklin’s star in Hollywood, California.
Aretha Franklin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in November 2005.
Here’s how the Bush administration described Franklin’s honor at the time:
The legendary singer was also named a winner of the National Medal of Arts by the National Endowment for the Arts in September 1999.
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to legendary singer Aretha Franklin by sharing a photograph of the pair with the caption, “We’ll miss you Queen.”
The photo appeared to be taken on the set of her award-winning “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
Read Winfrey’s tweet:
At the start of his cabinet meeting today, President Trump offered his “warmest best wishes and sympathies” to the family of Aretha Franklin.
He described her as a person he knew well and who worked for him. Trump also said her “legacy will thrive and inspire” many generations.
Franklin has performed at several Trump properties, including Trump Castle and Trump Taj Mahal.
Here’s Trump’s full remarks:
Singer and songwriter Smokey Robinson remembered Aretha Franklin as his “longest friend in this world.”
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama just released a statement on the passing of music legend Aretha Franklin.
Franklin performed at Obama’s inauguration in January 2009.
Read the Obamas’ statement:
Barack Obama followed up the statement with this tweet:
New York City’s Apollo Theater changed its marquee this morning to honor Aretha Franklin.
Earlier today, they tweeted a photo of the marquee from the 1970s, showing Franklin’s name in giant letters:
Civil rights activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson told CNN he visited Aretha Franklin’s home twice Wednesday to pray with her and the family.
Jackson said Franklin, as well as her father and other family members, was deeply involved in the civil rights struggle of the 1960s.
Franklin lent support to other struggles, with her last concert being with Elton John to raise money to fight AIDS, Jackson said.
“She had a sense of social justice,” Jackson said.
Watch:
Some of today’s top women in music are remembering the iconic Aretha Franklin this morning.
Some shared videos of the star’s earliest performances, and photos of a young Franklin.
Britney Spears:
Missy Elliott:
Christina Aguilera:
Fergie:
Grammy-award winning music legend Dionne Warwick shared her condolences today on the death of legendary singer Aretha Franklin.
“She sincerely will be missed throughout the musical world, family, and friends,” Warwick said in a statement.
Read her full statement:
Civil rights icon and congressman John Lewis remembered Aretha Franklin as “one of the great artists of our time” — and a strong supporter of civil rights. Her voice, he said, gave strength to activists.
Here’s more from his statement:
President Trump took to Twitter to pay his respect to legendary singer Aretha Franklin, who died this morning at home in Detroit.
“She was a great woman, with a wonderful gift from God, her voice,” he tweeted.
Nobody would call Aretha Franklin a central figure of the civil rights movement. And she was not an overt feminist.
But the singer, who died Thursday at 76, shot to fame in 1967 with a hit song that inspired millions of women and African Americans during a turbulent period of social upheaval in America.
You know the tune, and you even know how to spell it: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Franklin’s signature song and biggest hit, “Respect” burst from dance halls, car radios and porch windows amid a turbulent year marked by racial tensions and women lobbying for equal rights.
“I think ‘Respect’ was her national anthem, because everybody could relate to that,” Leon Jones, 60, told CNN Wednesday at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where he had stopped to pray for the ailing Queen of Soul.
“I think she was just talking to people in general,” added Jones, who is black. “Not just African Americas, not just Asians, not just Caucasian people, but everybody, because you could get disrespected in daily life.”
The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr took a moment today to remember the life of music legend Aretha Franklin.
McCartney and Starr both tweeted tributes to Franklin this morning:
Paul McCartney: “Her greatness as a musician and a fine human being will live with us forever”
Ringo Starr: “God bless Aretha Franklin”
