The legendary singer, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, announced her retirement from music last year.
TVC’s Theophilus Elamah reports that Aretha Louise Franklin, born March 25, 1942 was an American singer and songwriter.
Franklin began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, where her father, C.L. Franklin, was minister.
In 1960, at the age of 18, she embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records but only achieving modest success.
Following her signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as “Respect”, (SONG) “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” (SONG), “Spanish Harlem” (SONG), and “Think” (SONG).
By the end of the 1960s she had gained the title “The Queen of Soul”.
Her rendition of her popuar “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015 made then U.S. President Barack Obama teary
Franklin won a total of 18 Grammy Awards and is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, having sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
Franklin received many honors throughout her career, including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in which she became the first female performer to be inducted.
She was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005, and the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012.
Franklin is listed in at least two all-time lists on Rolling Stone magazine, including the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
The legendary singer, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, had last year, announced her retirement from music.
On Monday, Franklin was reported to be gravely ill at her home near Detroit, and died Thursday aged 76, of advanced pancreatic cancer, according to her publicist.
