Songstress Aretha Franklin aka The Queen of Soul has died at the age of 76. Her family announced the tragic news in a statement on Thursday, 16th August.
Franklin's longtime publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn released a statement on behalf of her family which revealed Franklin died at 9:50 on Thursday morning at her home in Detroit, Michigan.
The Queen of Soul died of pancreatic cancer, the statement said. It read:
The official cause of death was due to advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin's oncologist, Dr. Philip Philips of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.
Several celebrities, her fans including president Donald Trump and former president Barack Obama took to their Twitter expressing their condolences on Franklin's death on Thursday. "She was a great woman, with a wonderful gift from God, her voice", Trump wrote in his tweet.
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, is dead. She was a great woman, with a wonderful gift from God, her voice. She will be missed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018
On the other side, former president Obama wrote "Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade" in his post.
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
Celebrities like Barbara Streisand, John Legend, Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson and Ryan Seacrest also shared emotional tweets on their Twitter following the death of the singing legend. Here are the tweets.
The @AmericanIdol fam had the great privilege of working with the iconic Aretha Franklin for a special ep in Detroit. The world will miss her as she’s left an indelible mark on our culture. Her artistry & music will move & inspire us forever. Rest in peace to the Queen of Soul. pic.twitter.com/3LaOL6wvkn
— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) August 16, 2018
Salute to the Queen. The greatest vocalist I've ever known. #Aretha
— John Legend (@johnlegend) August 16, 2018
This photo was taken in 2012 when Aretha & I performed at a tribute celebration for our friend Marvin Hamlisch. It’s difficult to conceive of a world without her. Not only was she a uniquely brilliant singer,but her commitment to civil rights made an indelible impact on the world pic.twitter.com/Px9zVB90MM
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) August 16, 2018
The Tennessee-born pop icon had won 18 Grammys, including an honor for the best female R&B performance for eight straight years. Franklin is survived by her children; Ted White Jr., Clarence Franklin, Kecalf Cunningham, and Edward Franklin.
