Paul McCartney, Elton John, Diana Ross Pay Tribute to Aretha Franklin

John Legend, Questlove, Shania Twain are also among those sharing their condolences and appreciation for the Queen of Soul

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Aug 16, 2018

Aretha Franklin sadly passed away this morning at the age of 76.
 
The legendary singer's impact remains not only on her record-setting chart performance throughout her career, but in the influence she's had on musicians across all genres.
 
When she was reported to be "gravely ill" earlier this week, many stars sent their prayers, with JAY-Z and Beyoncé even dedicating their recent "On the Run II Tour" stop in Detroit to the soul icon.
 
Upon news of Franklin's death, many more admirers have taken to social media to pay homage to the Queen of Soul.
 
See a selection of those tributes below.
 

 
 

The 3 seconds it takes for #ArethaFranklin to oooooze out the words "Sittin around.." is as pure & creative & as honest as any singer I've ever seen when a performance goes beyond mere entertainment. THIS is what we need to get back to. where raw genius rises above marketing strategy & monetary reach & "likes" (because let's face it, look at the Billboard singles/Spotify singles/ITunes singles—-could she even find space to develop this talent? Or just give up & get a reality show and pray this works out? Now figure out the legions of talent that we either dismissed or passed on today or even the mesmerizing talent we've been shown near this level that can't even begin to thrive in this environment without some angle) for those not in the know & wanna know, with the exception of her yet to be seen Sidney Pollack documentary Amazing Grace (her best captured 2 hours 1972 in chu'ch, in her zone in south central Los Angeles—-w The Rolling Stones sitting IN THE DECON SECTION)—-this Performance at the #MontreuxJazzFestival in 71 is as good as it gets: as a singer, as a bandleader (midshow she calls an audible and the brass section just gives up playing & accepts they are just happy to have best seats in the house), as a piano player—-so underrated!—and the fact she has her ace band in tow too (#KingCurtis as MD & #BernardPurdie on drizzums)—-this is her most magical effortless skillful scientific talents on display. Long Live #QueenAretha.

A post shared by Questlove Gomez (@questlove) on






 

The loss of Aretha Franklin is a blow for everybody who loves real music: Music from the heart, the soul and the Church. Her voice was unique, her piano playing underrated – she was one of my favourite pianists. I was fortunate enough to spend time with her and witness her last performance – a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation at St John The Divine Cathedral. She was obviously unwell, and I wasn't sure she could perform. But Aretha did and she raised the roof. She sang and played magnificently, and we all wept. We were witnessing the greatest soul artist of all time. I adored her and worshipped her talent. God bless her. My condolences to all her family and friends. We shared the same birthday – and that meant so much to me. The whole world will miss her but will always rejoice in her remarkable legacy. The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen. @arethasings #RIP #ArethaFranklin #QueenOfSoul @ejaf

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on

 

RIP to the Legend, the icon, THE VOICE. Thank you, Aretha.

A post shared by Michelle Visage (@michellevisage) on

 

Our gift from Heaven went Home. Thank You Queen. Aretha Franklin

A post shared by Nasir Jones (@nas) on



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