Aretha Franklin, considered “the Queen of Soul”, passed away on August 16, 2018 of pancreatic cancer. She died surrounded by friends and family in a hospital in Riverfronts Towers, Detroit. In 1967 and 1968 alone, Franklin charted nine Top Ten Pop hits, including the No. 1 smash “Respect,” a cover of a recent Otis Redding hit that Franklin transformed into one of the most famous pieces of music ever recorded. (“That little girl stole my song,” Redding is said to have remarked, correctly.)

She was the first woman who was put into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Aretha was also inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame. She first started her career when she was 12. Her father took her on tour with him on his Gospel Caravan, where they sang at various churches. When she was 16, she went on tour with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and even sang at his funeral. Aretha Franklin won many awards from her singing career; she received 18 Grammys, Grammy Legend Award, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a Kennedy Center Honoree, National Medal of Arts, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The world will greatly miss this amazing person who has touched so many lives around the world with her amazing voice.

When Rolling Stone magazine put Ms. Franklin at the top of its 2010 list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time,” Mary J. Blige paid tribute:

“Aretha is a gift from God. When it comes to expressing yourself through song, there is no one who can touch her. She is the reason why women want to sing.”