‘We’ve lost an American treasure’: Tributes pour in for ‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin
Tributes are being paid to singer Aretha Franklin who has passed away at the age of 76. Known as the ‘Queen of Soul,’ the music icon was hailed by online commentators as the “greatest American vocalist in history.”
The musical legend succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Thursday after a long struggle with the illness. Franklin captured the heart of millions after making her breakthrough in the music industry in the early 1960s. She would go on to record hits such as ‘Say A Little Prayer,’ ‘Respect’ and ‘Natural Woman’ – hugely popular songs which endure to this day.
READ MORE: ‘Say a Little Prayer’: Music legend Aretha Franklin dies aged 76
The singer was fondly remembered online as celebrity fans from across the world posted tributes to her on social media.
Aretha Franklin is arguably the greatest American vocalist in history. Now, she is gone at 76. Rest, Queen. https://t.co/C7qFM0tHa8
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) August 16, 2018
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
There will never be another Queen of Soul. Aretha Franklin is the embodiment of a soul blessed with a special gift. Grateful we have decades of recordings that will live on. Long Live The Queen. #RIPAretha
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) August 16, 2018
R.I.P. Aretha Franklin Queen Of Soul 🙏🏿
— juicy j (@therealjuicyj) August 16, 2018
All of us. ALL of us stood on your shoulders. You were the Genesis of it all. The Genesis of the word, “Soul”...Goodbye, Aretha.🌹 pic.twitter.com/ukTM7Z96KH
— 9th Wonder (@9thwonder) August 16, 2018
RIP Aretha Franklin
— Gucci Mane (@gucci1017) August 16, 2018
Aretha Franklin singing at President Obama's inauguration. RIP the Queen of Soul. pic.twitter.com/3PT9Kp9zit
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 16, 2018
We've lost an American treasure. https://t.co/ngWEROvCAQ
— Joel Wasserman (@joelw_762) August 16, 2018
Aretha Franklin has died. Her voice was a pure, painful, and unforgettable expression of American history and American feeling, the collective experience of black Americans and her own life. https://t.co/2F2evnNpLR
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) August 16, 2018
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