Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, dies at 76

Family said she was 'gravely ill' Monday

AP Author

Published: August 16, 2018 at 4:53 PM

DETROIT – Aretha Franklin, the undisputed "Queen of Soul" who sang with matchless style on such classics as "Think," "I Say a Little Prayer" and her signature song, "Respect," and stood as a cultural icon around the globe, has died at age 76 from advance pancreatic cancer.

Publicist Gwendolyn Quinn tells The Associated Press through a family statement that Franklin passed Thursday at 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit.

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The statement said "Franklin's official cause of death was due to advance pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin's oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute" in Detroit.

[LIVE COVERAGE FROM DETROIT: News 6 partner WDIV-TV | PHOTOS: Through the years]

The family added: "In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family."

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With ArethaFranklin dying Thursday at the age of 76, take a look back at the Queen of Soulthrough the years.

Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee. Her family moved to Buffalo, New York, when she was 2 and then permanently to Detroit before she turned 5 years old.

She eventually earned the nickname "Queen of Soul" thanks to songs like "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Think," "Chain of Fools" and "Respect."

She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's second class in 1987 along with 14 other performers (including Bill Haley, B.B. King, Marvin Gaye, Roy Orbison and Ricky Nelson), becoming the first woman to be inducted.

Franklin carries the Olympic torch during the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Torch Relay in Detroit on Jan. 6, 2002.

President George W. Bush presents Franklin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on Nov. 9, 2005.

Franklin and Aaron Neville perform the national anthem prior to the start of Super Bowl XL between the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field in Detroit on Feb. 5, 2006.

Franklin sings during the first inauguration of President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2009, in Washington, D.C.

The cover of Aretha Franklin's 2011 album "Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love."

Franklin performs onstage at the 10th Annual TV Land Awards at the Lexington Avenue Armory on April 14, 2012, in New York City.

Franklin receives an honorary doctorate during the 2014 graduation ceremony for New York University at Yankee Stadium on May 21, 2014.

Franklin attends the 102nd White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on April 30, 2016, in Washington, D.C.

Franklin sings the national anthem prior to the start of an NFL game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field on Nov. 24, 2016.

Franklin performs onstage at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's New York Fall Gala at Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Nov. 7, 2017, in New York City.

With ArethaFranklin dying Thursday at the age of 76, take a look back at the Queen of Soulthrough the years.

Franklin's family announced that she was "gravely ill" on Monday. Since then, many celebrities have paid her homage and visited her while she was in in hospice care.

Franklin, 76, was born in Memphis, Tenn. in 1942, the daughter of the famous pastor and civil rights activist C. L. Franklin. When Aretha was just 2 years old, the family left Memphis for New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, and a Motor City legend was ready to be born.

In an interview last year, Franklin said she had plans to "retire" after the release of her new album.