Aretha Franklin dies aged 76

Aretha Franklin, often referred to as the Queen Of Soul, has died.

A statement from her publicist confirmed the 76-year-old died in Detroit surrounded by friends and family. 

Aretha had dealt with numerous health issues in recent years, leading to her announcing her retirement in February 2017. Her last performance was at Elton John’s charity gala in November.

She told Detroit radio station WDIV Local 4 at the time: “I must tell you, I am retiring this year. “I feel very, very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from and where it is now.”

Aretha was previously diagnosed with cancer in 2010, later confirming she had had the tumour removed.

She has 16 Top 40 singles on the UK’s Official Singles Chart, five of which peaked inside the Top 10. Her collaboration with George Michael, I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me), reached Number 1 in 1987.

Look over Aretha Franklin's complete Official UK Chart history in full

Aretha has won a total of 17 Grammys as well as three special recognitions from the academy, and is one of the best-selling singers of all time. In 1987 she became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In America, she has 20 Number 1 singles on the R&B charts, including Baby I Love You, Chain Of Fools and Bridge Over Troubled Water.  

After releasing her first single, Never Grow Old, in 1956, it wasn’t until 1967 – when Aretha signed to Atlantic Records – that she found international fame, reaching Number 10 with what would become her signature hit, Respect.

Her most successful album in the UK is 1968’s Aretha Now, which peaked at Number 6 – her only Top 10 studio album. Her last studio record, released in 2014, saw her take on modern and classic songs by her contemporaries, including Adele’s Rolling in the Deep, Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman and Midnight Train to Georgia.

Watch Aretha Franklin perform You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman in 2015 at the Kennedy Center Honors: 

Article image: Rex