ARETHA IS MOURNED: TRIBUTES TO THE ‘QUEEN OF SOUL’
Singer known by her first name alone performed for presidents and made ‘indelible impact’ on world
THE MUSIC world was mourning its Queen of Soul last night, a performer whose exhilarating presence onstage was matched by an even more tempestuous private life,
The death of Aretha Franklin at 76 was, said her friend, Sir Elton John, a “blow for everybody who loves real music – music from the heart, the soul and the church”.
One of the few performers to be identifiable by her first name alone, she sold more than 75m records in a career that spanned seven decades, won 18 Grammy Awards and was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
She died at her home in Detroit, surrounded by family and friends, her publicist said.
Ms Franklin, whose cover of Otis Redding’s 1965 rhythm and blues song, Respect , is considered one of the great feminist anthems, was reported to have been seriously ill at the beginning of the week.
In recent days, she had been visited by Stevie Wonder, the Rev Jesse Jackson and her former husband, the actor Glynn Turman.
A family statement said she had died from advanced pancreatic cancer.
Sir Elton, whose Aids Foundation had hosted her final performance, was among many to pay tribute. Her voice, he said, was unique, her piano playing underrated.
“I was fortunate enough to spend time with her,” he said of her last show.
“She was obviously unwell, and I wasn’t sure she could perform. But Aretha did and she raised the roof.
“She sang and played magnificently, and we all wept. We were witnessing the greatest soul artist of all time.” Former US president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary also spoke fondly of a woman they called “one of America’s greatest national treasures”.
They said in a statement: “For more than 50 years, she stirred our souls. She was elegant, graceful, and utterly uncompromising in her artistry.”
Noting that “Aretha’s first music school was the church”, the Clintons recalled the creative cauldron in which her talent had been forged.
Her father, a travelling Baptist preacher named Clarence
LaVaughn “CL” Franklin, led Detroit’s New Bethel Church, which became a centre for the civil rights movement.
He became famous for his emotionally charged sermons, earning the name, “the man with the million-dollar voice”, and the family home was frequented by Dr Martin Luther King Jr, the singer Sam Cooke and the gospel performer Mahalia Jackson – who helped take care of the 10-year-old Aretha and her siblings after their mother’s death.
By the time Aretha was 14, she was a mother of two. But she was also a prodigious talent, and released her first studio album, Songs of Faith, at the same age. By then, her father was also her manager.
At 18, she was signed by Columbia Records and had her first mainstream hit, Today I Sing The Blues.
During a stellar career, she performed duets with her goddaughter, the late Whitney Houston, and with George Michael and Frank Sinatra. She also sang for numerous world leaders, including the Queen and President Barack Obama at his inauguration in 2009.
But in recent years, she was blighted by ill health and was forced to cancel a number of live shows – including one in Newark, New Jersey, which would have taken place on her 76th birthday.
Her family said in a statement: “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.
“The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.”
It added: “We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support from all around the world.”
She stirred our souls. She was uncompromising in her artistry. Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hilliary, in a statement.