Aretha Franklin dies, aged 76

Legendary singer Aretha Franklin has passed away; she was 76.

Surrounded by friends and family whilst in hospice care at her home, the iconic performer had been battling numerous health problems over the years; last summer she was forced to cancel a multitude of concerts on doctor’s orders. Her last public performance was in November 2017 on behalf of the Elton John Aids Foundation. According to her representative, Gwendolyn Quinn, the cause of Frankin’s death was advanced pancreatic cancer.

In March of this year, Franklin announced the cancellation of a scheduled appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival following advice from her doctor. Speaking to Rolling Stone, her manager said at the time “Aretha Franklin has been ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest completely for at least the next two months…. She is extremely disappointed she cannot perform at this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival as she had expected and hoped to.”

Toward the end of 2015, the soul queen brought then-US President Barack Obama to tears with her powerful rendition of Carole King’s ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ – watch below:

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