Aretha Franklin is celebrated by the BBC this weekend, almost six years after her death at the age of 76.
The Queen of Soul passed away in August 2018 at her home in Detroit after a battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Her longtime publicist Gwendolyn Quinn said Aretha was surrounded by family and loved ones when she died.
Aretha Franklin death announced
A statement issued on behalf of the family said: “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.
“We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers.
“We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.”
Career highs and family lows
Aretha was the undisputed Queen of Soul with a career spanning seven decades, whose feminist anthem Respect is considered by many to be one of the greatest songs of all time.
She has sold more than 75 million records worldwide and won a large number of awards, including 18 Grammys, and she was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
The star was born Aretha Louise Franklin in Memphis, Tennessee on March 25 1942 to travelling Baptist preacher Clarence LaVaughn “CL” Franklin and mother Barbara, an accomplished singer and pianist.
Aretha’s family relocated to Detroit, Michigan while she was still an infant.
Her father led the city’s New Bethel Baptist Church, which became a centre for the civil rights movement.
Following her parents’ separation, Aretha’s mother moved to Buffalo in New York but she would frequently visit her children in Detroit. Barbara died weeks before Aretha’s 10th birthday.
Becoming a mum aged 12
At age 12 Aretha had the first of her four sons, Clarence, named after her father. He was born just before she turned 13. The baby’s father was a school friend called Donald Burk. Her second child Edward followed two years later.
Aretha’s father – known for being “promiscuous” – became famous for his emotionally charged sermons, becoming known as “the man with the million-dollar voice”.
Her childhood home was frequented by celebrities including civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr and singer Sam Cooke, while gospel singer Mahalia Jackson helped to take care of Franklin and her siblings following her mother’s death.
A 2014 biography by David Ritz, named Respect, detailed Aretha’s colourful childhood in Detroit, with claims her dad provided far more than sermons at his gatherings.
In fact, orgies were so common that fellow singer Ray Charles labelled the church a “sex circus”.
Musical career
Aretha’s love and knack for all things musical started early on in her life, when she learned how to play the piano by ear and singing in church.
Her father became her manager and she joined him on his tours of churches across the country.
She released her first studio album, Songs Of Faith, in 1956 when she was 14 years old.
At the age of 18 Aretha told her father she wanted to start singing and recording pop music.
She was signed by Columbia who released her first single on the label Today I Sing The Blues in 1960.
Respect
Her first single to land on America’s main industry chart came the following year with Won’t Be Long, but it was in the latter half of the decade that Aretha’s commercial success really soared.
She opted to move to Atlantic Records from Columbia in 1966. And, the following year, she scored her first top 10 hit with I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You).
Her album of the same name also featured her signature number, a rendition of Otis Redding’s Respect, which topped the chart.
The song became widely considered as a feminist and civil rights anthem. Today it still remains one of her most beloved songs.
The singer had a string of popular hits in the late 1960s. These included (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Chain Of Fools, Baby I Love You, and her version of I Say A Little Prayer by Dionne Warwick.
In June 1968, she appeared on the cover of Time magazine and earned the first of her 18 Grammy awards for Respect. She would be recognised at the Grammys with a lifetime achievement award in 1994.
Aretha’s success continued into the 1970s. She had hits such as Spanish Harlem and Rock Steady.
She recorded an album of gospel material called Amazing Grace which sold millions.
The decade ended with her receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In the 1980s Aretha had left Atlantic. But she scored her first platinum-selling recorded in 1985 with her 33rd studio effort Who’s Zoomin Who?.
Duets and Aretha Franklin singing for world leaders
During her career Aretha performed duets with the likes of her goddaughter Whitney Houston, Elton John, George Michael and Frank Sinatra.
Aretha performed publicly for numerous world leaders including the Queen and at former US President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009.
Wedding belle
She was married twice, first to guitarist Theodore “Ted” White with whom she had her third son Ted White Jr. He would later perform as a guitarist in Franklin’s touring band.
Her marriage to White ended in divorce after eight years. Aretha had her fourth child Kecalf by tour manager Ken Cunningham in 1970.
In 1978 she married actor Glynn Turman at her father’s church. However, the pair split in 1984.
She was twice engaged to long-term partner Willie Wilkerson. The most recent was called off in 2012.
Aretha Franklin health woes
In recent years, Aretha suffered from ill health and was forced to cancel a number of live shows.
In 2011 she said in an interview with the Associated Press that doctors told her that surgery she had for an unspecified tumour would “add 15 to 20 years” to her life.
Sadly, seven years later, she passed away.
Catch Aretha Franklin at the BBC on BBC Two, Saturday July 13, from 9pm.
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