Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul Music Passes Away at 76

Legendary singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin, long known as the Queen of Soul, died on Thursday in Detroit after suffering from a pancreatic cancer. She was 76.

Franklin started performing at a young age, singing gospel music in the Detroit church where her father was a minister. Though she began singing professionally in the early 1960s, it was in 1967 that her musical career took off, after she signed with Atlantic Records. Before that decade was over, she had released such songs as “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman,” “Think” and “Respect,” which went on to become classics. Her “Queen of Soul” moniker followed shortly after her initial commercial success.