Aretha Franklin – the ‘Queen of Soul’ and singer of ‘Respect’ – has died at the age of 76 in Detroit after losing her battle with cancer.
The world renowned singer and songwriter has died at the age of 76 after being diagnosed with cancer in 2010. Franklin retired from music last year after 17 top ten US chart hits, winning 18 Grammys and being awarded the BET Honours Award for Musical Arts; and these are just some of the awards Franklin has achieved over her seven decade career.
Early Life
Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Clarence La Vaughan Franklin a Baptist preacher and Barbara Siggers Franklin, a gospel singer.
Aretha Franklin was a musical prodigy and her special gifts were very present and apparent from a young age. Franklin was gifted on the piano and had a powerful voice, she was regarded as a prodigy as she was mainly self-taught. Franklin first started singing at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan in front of her father’s congregation.
At the age of 14, she recorded some of her first tracks at church, which were released by a small label company as the album ‘Songs of Faith’ in 1956.
Family Life
Franklin was the fourth of five children with three sisters and two brothers. Her parents separated by the time Franklin was six and then four years later her mother passed away from a heart attack. Shortly after, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan and attended New Bethel Baptist Church, this is where Franklin started her singing career.
She sang with her father’s traveling revival show and while on tour, at the age 12, she became pregnant with her first child, a son named Clarence. Two years later she had a second child, another son named Edward. She also had two more sons Ted White Jr in 1964 and Kecalf in 1970.
In 1961 she married her manager Ted White, White was described as:
‘controlling, dealing out domestic abuse on many occasions.’
After her marriage to White ended in 1970 she went on to marry actor Glynn Turman in 1978, that marriage ended in 1984.
Remembering Aretha Franklin
Famous for her powerful voice and top songs like ‘Respect’, ‘Think’ and ‘A Natural Women’ Franklin has inspired millions of people across the globe both young and old as Former US President Barack Obama said she:
‘helped us feel more human’
Aretha Franklin is a legend that will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
- by Faith Sindick, Editor of Opinion
- Sources: Sky News, BBC News, Inquisitr, Metro
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