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US singer Aretha Franklin dies at 76

Tributes are being paid to US singer Aretha Franklin, who has has died at 76. Her representative,...
Newstalk
Newstalk

15.08 16 Aug 2018


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US singer Aretha Franklin dies...

US singer Aretha Franklin dies at 76

Newstalk
Newstalk

15.08 16 Aug 2018


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Tributes are being paid to US singer Aretha Franklin, who has has died at 76.

Her representative, Gwendolyn Quinn, said she died on Thursday.

The cause was advanced pancreatic cancer.

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"It is with deep and profound sadness that we announce the passing of Aretha Louise Franklin, the Queen of Soul," a statement reads.

"Franklin, 76 years old, passed away on Thursday morning, August 16 at 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit, MI, surrounded by family and loved ones."

Named the Queen of Soul, she was one of the world's best known soul singers.

She had cancelled recent shows due to ill health and was later reported to be seriously ill.

Franklin announced her partial retirement last year, saying she would release one last album and perform at "some select things."

Aretha Franklin waves after her performance at the International Jazz Day Concert on the South Lawn of the White House in April 2016 | Image: Pool/ABACA/PA Images

Her most recent performance was in November last year at Elton John's Aids Foundation's 25th anniversary gala in New York.

Franklin's last album 'A Brand New Me' was released in 2017 and remixed her vintage vocals with newly recorded arrangements.

Stevie Wonder and Reverend Jesse Jackson were among the stars to visit Franklin over recent days.

Numerous other artists - including Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Mariah Carey - had also sent their best wishes.

Tributes are being paid to her on social media - US President Donald Trump said she was "a wonderful gift from God".

 

Rising to fame in the 1960s, perhaps her best known song is the cover of Otis Redding's classic hit 'Respect', reaching number one in the US and the top 10 in the UK.

It was released in 1967 at the height of a tumultuous period in the battle for US civil rights.

It is possibly why Barack Obama labelled her music as embodying the connection between African-American culture and the experiences felt by many throughout US history.

He told BBC Radio 4 the reason he would take her music to a desert island, over and above almost anyone else's, was because "she'll remind me of my humanity, what's essential in all of us. And she just sounds so damn good."

As well as her solo hits, she performed with the Eurythmics in 1985's anthem Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves.

She then joined forces with George Michael for the fiery duet I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).

Singer Annie Lennox said Franklin "was simply peerless", adding that her "voice will soar forever".

She received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1979, and was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Named the best singer of all time by Rolling Stone in 2013, she received 18 Grammy Awards over the course of her career.

She was subsequently inducted into the Apollo Theatre's Hall of Fame and the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Franklin charted 73 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, the most of any female artist and ninth-most of all artists.

During the Nielsen Music era, she sold 8.9 million albums.

She was also a recipient of the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award and Grammy Legend Award.

She sung at the memorial service of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and performed at the inaugurations of three US presidents: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

President George W Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.

In later years, she mostly shifted her focus to concerts and special appearances.

Franklin leaves behind her four sons - Clarence, Edward, Teddy and Kecalf.

 


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