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How she won millions of people's hearts and ears - In combination with the incredible power of her voice, she has a vast musical intelligence that allows her to artfully sing behind the beat and stretch a single syllable into a swath of notes.

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Her reputation is out of this world - Literally: in 2014, Asteroid 249516 Aretha was named in her honor.

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One of the best-selling musical artists of all time - The incredible artist has sold over 75 million records worldwide. But before she became a household name, where did it all begin?

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A slow start - Signing to Columbia Records in 1960, when she was just 18, wasn't a mistake, but the label never brought her real commercial success.

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Before that, she was a gospel singer in her father's church - And who knew one of her greatest moments would be performing for Pope Francis in 2015, 55 years after taking that first leap into her career?

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Atlantic Records knew a good thing when they heard it - Atlantic Records signed Franklin in 1967 and gave her the breakthrough she needed, with hit songs like…

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‘I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You’ (1967) - This piano-led blues track was the defining song that became Franklin's first real hit of her career. 

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'Respect' (1967) - This R&B classic was originally written by Otis Redding as a man's plea for respect from a woman. Franklin reversed it and consequently pioneered one of the first and greatest musical moments of female empowerment.

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'(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ (1967) - Franklin recorded this tender ode to a lover at the request of famous songwriter Carole King, and it has since been often imitated but never duplicated.

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'Think’ (1968) - Franklin cemented herself as a feminist icon with her seventh top-ten hit in two years—a soulful, didactic song that attracted an audience of forward-thinking liberals.

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Her first (of many) Grammys - Franklin won her first two Grammy Awards in 1968—Best R&B Recording, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance—which she would continue to dominate for eight consecutive years.

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'Spanish Harlem' (1971) - Franklin's version of the song exceeded the success of all other covers, making it to second-place on the pop singles chart and topping the R&B chart.

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"The Queen of Soul" - The name actually originated in the early '60s, before Franklin would go on to achieve greater success than anyone could have imagined.

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Hard times ensued - The rest of the '70s saw a decrease in hits, and in 1979 Franklin’s father was tragically shot (he remained in a coma for five years and died in 1984). But when Clive Davis signed her to Arista Records, things took an upward turn for the singer.

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It was about time to give her a star - The same year her father died, the singer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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The Queen performed for the Queen - In 1980, Franklin shone during her Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth in London, England.

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Her first platinum album - The 1985 'Who’s Zoomin’ Who?' album was her first record to go platinum. 

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First female in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Franklin made history as the first female inductee in 1987, and she was also the second woman ever inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

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'I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)' feat. George Michael (1987) -

Franklin paired up with the iconic '80s pop singer and proved that she could still keep up with the times. The Grammy Award-winning number one song would also become her biggest hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

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The chorus of icons at Bill Clinton's inauguration - In 1993, Franklin sang alongside Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross in a truly monumental music history moment.

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She headlined the first 'VH1 Divas Live' - The televised concert also featured Mariah Carey, Céline Dion, Gloria Estefan, Carole King, and Shania Twain at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

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When she stepped in for Luciano Pavarotti at the last moment - At the 1998 Grammys, the singer called in sick with less than an hour's notice. Franklin saved the show by replacing his performance with her gorgeous rendition of the opera aria 'Nessun dorma.'

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'A Rose Is Still a Rose' - That same year, soon after wowing the world with her operatic skills, Franklin released a new album, ending a seven-year drought. The title song was written by Lauryn Hill!

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Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom - Franklin received the highest civilian honor in 2005, marking one of her greatest patriotic moments. 

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She brought former President Obama to tears - First at his inauguration, and again in 2015 at the Kennedy Center Honors. Obama praised Franklin for embodying the African-American connection to blues, R&B, and rock and roll, adding that her music is an example of the transformation of hardship and sorrow into beauty and hope.

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She wasn't ever irrelevant - Almost 50 years after her career began, Franklin flawlessly performed 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at the 2016 Super Bowl XL.

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More than just a voice - In 2012, around the time she was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Franklin was often described as a symbol of black equality, as well as the voice of both black America and the civil rights movement.

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Honorary degrees - Franklin received honorary degrees and doctorates in music from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan, and more.

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She stopped flying a while ago - Due to a scary incident on a two-engine flight, Franklin hasn’t flown overseas since 1983, performing shows only in North America.

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She received a lifetime achievement award when she was 52 - Her Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award of 1994 is a nice addition to her collection of 18 Grammy awards, three special recognition prizes, and a Golden Globe.

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Most charted female artist - She recorded a total of 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries, and 20 number one R&B singles.

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A legend - Franklin has just passed away at the age of 76, a victim to pancreatic cancer.

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