Aretha Franklin Passes Away At The Age Of 76

Fans are in mourning after Aretha Franklin, affectionately known as the “Queen of Soul,” passed away on Thursday morning after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 76-years-old.

Fox News reported that Franklin died at 9:50 am at her home in Detroit, Michigan.

“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,” Franklin’s family said in a statement. “We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.”

Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1942, Franklin was raised in Detroit and began singing in the church when she was young. She went on to become a legendary soul singer who also often showed off her chops in R&B, jazz, blues, and gospel music.

Franklin released her first album at 14 and was signed to Columbia Records at 18 after she moved to New York. Her career quickly skyrocketed from there, and by 1965, she had earned the nickname the “Queen of Soul” at age 23.

Franklin’s biggest hit was arguably the song “Respect,” which was released in 1967.

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Her other hits included “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools,” “Call Me,” and the 1972 gospel album “Amazing Grace.”

Tributes for Franklin are already pouring in on Twitter:

Rest in peace, Aretha Franklin! You will be dearly missed!