Aretha Franklin dead at the age of 76

Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul” known for hits including Respect and I Say A Little Prayer, has died at the age of 76.

Franklin passed away at her home in Detroit this morning after an eight year battle with pancreatic cancer, according to her publicist.

Reports had emerged last week that the fiercely private singer was gravely ill and under the care of hospice nurses.

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Her death “marks the end of an era in music and has been mourned across the entertainment world”, says the Daily Mirror.

Born in 1942, Franklin grew up in Detroit, honing her legendary four-octave range at the church where he father worked as a pastor.

Despite a difficult childhood which saw her give birth to two children by the age of 14, in 1960 she signed a deal with Columbia Records. By the end of the decade, she would be crowned the “Queen of Soul”.

Franklin sold an estimated 75 million records in her seven-decade long recording career, picking up 18 Grammy awards along the way.

Her best-known hits include (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Chain Of Fools, Think!, Respect and I Say A Little Prayer.

She was also a passionate civil rights advocate, marching alongside Martin Luther King in the 1960s. At King’s memorial service in 1968, she performed the gospel classic Precious Lord, Take My Hand.

In 2005, she received the US’s highest civilian accolade, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from then-president George W. Bush. The citation commends her “lifetime of achievement” and contribution to “the nation's artistic and cultural heritage”.

Twice married and twice divorced, she leaves behind four sons.