Aretha Franklin, widely recognized as the Queen of Soul, has died at the age of 76.
Following reports earlier this week that she was "gravely ill," the Associated Press has confirmed that she passed away from advanced pancreatic cancer.
According to Franklin's family, she died this morning at 9:50 a.m. EDT at her home in Detroit.
"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," her family told AP. "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."
Franklin was born in Memphis in 1942 to a Baptist preacher. Her family went on to move to Buffalo, before settling in Detroit during Franklin's high school years.
Following her early involvement with gospel music, Franklin went on to record and release her first album for Columbia records in 1961. When she eventually signed with Atlantic Records, she went on to release major hits like "Respect," "Natural Woman" and "Chain of Fools."
She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, making her the first female inductee.
More recently, she found chart success with a 2014 cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." It marked her 100th charting single, making her the first woman to set that record.
During her career, Franklin also performed at White House inaugurations for Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.
Following reports earlier this week that she was "gravely ill," the Associated Press has confirmed that she passed away from advanced pancreatic cancer.
According to Franklin's family, she died this morning at 9:50 a.m. EDT at her home in Detroit.
"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," her family told AP. "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."
Franklin was born in Memphis in 1942 to a Baptist preacher. Her family went on to move to Buffalo, before settling in Detroit during Franklin's high school years.
Following her early involvement with gospel music, Franklin went on to record and release her first album for Columbia records in 1961. When she eventually signed with Atlantic Records, she went on to release major hits like "Respect," "Natural Woman" and "Chain of Fools."
She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, making her the first female inductee.
More recently, she found chart success with a 2014 cover of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." It marked her 100th charting single, making her the first woman to set that record.
During her career, Franklin also performed at White House inaugurations for Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.