Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul," is easily reckoned as one of the greatest musical icons of all time. Though her passing today at age 76 leaves behind family, friends and a music world in mourning, it also bequeaths an inheritance of one of the finest catalogs in modern history and the chance to reflect on the life of the woman behind such songs as “Respect,” “Chain of Fools” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

Born on March 25, 1942, it could be said of Aretha Franklin that music was woven into the fabric of her being. Not only was her birthplace — Memphis, Tennessee — one of the most important cities in the history of blues and rock ‘n’ roll, but her father, C. L., was a Baptist minister and gospel singer known nationwide as “The Man with the Million-Dollar Voice.” He moved the family to Detroit — another musical hotbed — in 1944. Aretha’s mother, Barbara, was a singer as well, although she left the family when Aretha was just six and died four years later, the first in a long string of heartaches that would run through her life.

In recognition of her ongoing chart-topping and award-winning output, in 1987 Aretha Franklin became the first woman to earn induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Though her popularity as a contemporary artist began to wane following her Hall of Fame induction, Aretha Franklin remained both active and successful.

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This is not the official app of Aretha Franklin. It is a fan made