After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, Aretha Franklin, the 'Queen of Soul,' died at the age of 76. The Detroit icon had one of the greatest voices in musical history, and was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Over the course of her incredible 50-year career, she won 18 Grammy Awards and sold 75 million records worldwide. She is best known for the classic songs Respect, I Say A Little Prayer, and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
"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," Franklins' family said in a statement. "We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family." They're not alone in their grief. On social media, fans, celebrities and public figures mourned the loss of her indelible voice. These include people from different generations, different professions and different sides of the political aisle. It's easy to forget we're only on this earth for a short amount of time; you don't know what you got until it's gone.
Barbara Streisand John Legend Diana Ross Ariana Grande Carole King Kelly Clarkson Bette Midler Questlove Paul McCartney Christina Aguilera Tony Bennett Shania Twain Patti La Belle Missy Elliott Elton John Britney Spears Idina Menzel Ringo Starr Lenny Kravitz Reba McEntire Chance The Rapper Gene Simmons Lin-Manuel Miranda Toni Braxton Hugh Jackman Ava DuVernay Kelly Rowland Liam Gallagher Faith Hill Ryan Seacrest Whoopi Goldberg Hillary Clinton Donald Trump Barack ObamaR.I.P. to the Queen.
