Today on Community Connection, we celebrated the life and impact of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.
Source: MOLLY RILEY / Getty
“The musical world found itself sending positive thoughts and prayers this week as Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, was placed in hospice care and now the world is taking the time to mourn her passing.
RELATED: Aretha Franklin In Detroit: Pictures Of The Queen Of Soul In Her Hometown
According to The Associated Press, Gwendolyn Quinn, the publicist for Aretha Franklin says the Queen of Soul died Thursday at her home in Detroit. The cause was advanced pancreatic cancer. She was 76 years old.
As we previously reported, Franklin, had been receiving palliative care at home in Detroit while being “surrounded by family members,”
RELATED: Aretha Live: Watch 5 Of Aretha Franklin’s Iconic Performances
Several celebrities visited Franklin at her Detroit home while she was ill, including singer Stevie Wonder, Rev and Jesse Jackson.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z paused their Detroit concert on Monday after the show’s opening song “Holy Grail” to pay a small tribute to Franklin.
“This show is dedicated to Aretha Franklin,” Beyoncé said. “We love and thank you.”
Cathy Hughes, the media magnate and Founder and Chairperson of Urban One, Inc. who counted Franklin as a close friend, offered her condolences to and “prayers of grace and peace to the members of her family, her friends and colleagues” upon learning of the death.
“Aretha’s music commanded ‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T,’ and that song not only became a rallying cry during the civil rights movement but also served as an anthem for women who still identify with its message, today,” Hughes said in part. “Her timeless classics also became historical markers in our personal journeys and our collective story as a community. She understood her progress was our progress, her success was our success, and when the door opened for her, it opened for us as well. Aretha was unapologetically black. She was committed to black music and black radio. She understood its role in her career and remained loyal to our company across the years.”
Franklin was married twice, including to actor Glynn Turman. She is survived by all four of her sons – Clarence, Edward, Ted White, Jr. and Kecalf Cunningham – and died while she was around an army of family and friends.”
Source Below
SOURCE: The Associated Press | IMAGE CREDIT: Getty
