The American Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has died at on Thursday morning at her Detroit home due to advance pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type. She was 76.
The self-taught piano prodigy, songwriter and vocalist who dominated the music charts in the late ’60s was accompanied by family and friends at her time of death and the funeral arrangements will be held on August 31.
“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,” her family said in a statement.
“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.”
Her life and legacy will be remembered through a tribute concert happening this fall on November 14 at the Madison Square Garden in New York. Tons of tributes have also been pouring in from various celebrities and personalities who have worked with her and those who do appreciate her work.
Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade—our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace. pic.twitter.com/bfASqKlLc5
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 16, 2018