Aretha Franklin | 1942 – 2018
Aretha Franklin recording at Columbia Studios in New York in 1962.
(Donaldson Collection / Getty Images)Known as the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin turned her childhood gospel talents into a long-lasting career as the 20th century’s preeminent pop music diva after churning out a number of hits, many of them politically motivated, in the 1960s and ‘70s. With 18 Grammy Awards and more than 75 million records sold, Franklin’s legacy can still be heard in each new generation of brassy soul singers.
Aretha Franklin on the red carpet before the 38th Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., where she performed in December 2015.
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Aretha Franklin and her second husband, Glynn Turman, at their wedding reception in Los Angeles on April 17, 1978, along with Kecalf, 8, Aretha’s son by a previous marriage. Franklin gave birth to four children, all sons.
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With her shoes in one hand and the award for soul album of the year in the other, Aretha Franklin celebrates being honored at the 10th American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1983.
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Franklin joins George Michael onstage at the Auburn Hills, Mich., stop of his Faith World Tour on Aug. 30, 1988. The duo had a hit together with 1986’s “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).”
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Aretha Franklin sings during the finale of “Aretha Franklin: Duets,” an AIDS benefit concert in New York on April 28, 1993. Others onstage include Smokey Robinson, Gloria Estefan, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt, Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro.
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Aretha Franklin raises her arms in jubilation after standing in for Luciano Pavarotti at the last minute at the 40th Grammy Awards on Feb. 25, 1998, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Franklin sang “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s “Turandot” when Pavarotti called in sick.
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President George W. Bush presents Franklin with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony on Nov. 9, 2005.
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Franklin with “Soul Train” host and producer Don Cornelius on “Divas and Kings 2000 & Beyond” in 2001.
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Aretha Franklin performs at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Sept. 17, 2004.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Host Hugh Jackman gets up close and personal with Franklin after their duet at the 2005 Tony Awards at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on June 5, 2005.
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Franklin performs at the 50th Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 10, 2008.
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Aretha Franklin sings at the inauguration of President Obama on Jan. 20, 2009.
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Franklin performs at the Hollywood Bowl on June 26, 2009.
(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Franklin in concert at the Microsoft Theatre in L.A. on Aug. 2, 2015.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Aretha Franklin performs the national anthem before an NFL game between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings in her adopted hometown of Detroit on Nov. 24, 2016.
(Paul Sancya / Associated Press)