Aretha Franklin “The Queen of Soul”

On my walk through the beautiful and historic Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan, I stepped through a quiet side entrance of a limestone mausoleum. Just to my immediate left was the crypt of the great soul singer and American icon — Aretha Franklin.

Born in Memphis but forever linked to Detroit, Aretha Franklin honed her extraordinary voice as a gospel singer in her father, Rev. C.L. Franklin’s church. Inside the mausoleum, her father rests just below her, to the right — a fitting tribute to the family bond that helped shape her early music and grounded her lifelong career.

The New Bethel Baptist Church, Detroit founded in 1932 by Aretha’s father, Rev. C.L. Franklin.

Rolling Stone named Aretha the greatest singer of all time, and with over 75 million records sold worldwide, it’s easy to understand why.

Over her career, she earned 18 Grammy Awards, and while her list of honours is nearly endless, two historic milestones stand out: In 1997, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2005, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States.

Aretha Louise Franklin died in Detroit on August 16, 2018. She was 76.

1942-2018