She was drinking so much, we thought she was on the verge of a breakdown, her sister Carolyn said in Ritzs biography. The "all-star" group performed gospel songs, including renditions from Franklin's 1972 album, Amazing Grace. [93] In 2011, under her own label, Aretha's Records, she issued the album Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love. Aretha Franklin's Granddaughter Performs Iconic Singer's 'Ain't No Way' for 'American Idol' Audition. "They loved each other. was bitterly opposed to the whole deal, wrote music journalist Mikal Gilmore in a sprawling 2018 obituary for Rolling Stone. Our editors handpick the products that we feature. [113] Franklin's voice was described as being a "powerful mezzo-soprano voice". [182] Among those who paid tribute to Aretha at the service were Ariana Grande, Bill Clinton, Rev. [50], In the 1960s, during a performance at the Regal Theater in Chicago, WVON radio personality Pervis Spann announced that Franklin should be crowned "the Queen of Soul". He served as her manager, and they had a son together, her third. He came along at just the right time. [135] She married actor Glynn Turman, on April 11, 1978, at her father's church. [231][232], At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, the ceremony was ended with a memorial tribute to the life and career of Franklin. Her album The Gospel Sound of Aretha Franklin (1956) captures the electricity of her performances as a 14-year-old. "It's a legacy of heartbreak, joy, complexity, and triumph.. Wayans has two children with Angela Zackery: 21-year-old daughter . Aretha was as remote as she could be," Otis said. [43][58] Upon hearing her version, Otis Redding said admiringly: "That little girl done took my song away from me. [68] After being cleared of wrongdoing, Jones subsequently enjoyed a brief career of her own, during which she was herself the subject of an impersonation. [235][236], On February 10, 2019, it was announced that the subject of the third season of the American National Geographic anthology television series Genius would be Franklin, in the "first-ever, definitive scripted miniseries on the life of the universally acclaimed Queen of Soul". Franklin grew up in Detroit, Michigan. [205] Inducted to the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012, Franklin was described as "the voice of the civil rights movement, the voice of black America". Label executive John H. Hammond later said he felt Columbia did not understand Franklin's early gospel background and failed to bring that aspect out further during her period there. Franklin's cover of "Rolling in the Deep" was featured among nine other songs in her first RCA release, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, released in October 2014. In 2008, Franklin issued the holiday album This Christmas, Aretha on DMI Records. [51][34] Spann ceremonially placed a crown on her head. By 19, Aretha married her manager, Ted White Snr, who allegedly introduced the singer to weed and alcohol. In 1998, Franklin returned to the Top 40 with the Lauryn Hill-produced song "A Rose Is Still a Rose"; later, she released an album with the same name. [185][186] At Franklin's request she was eulogized by Rev. Born on March 25, 1942 in Memphis, Aretha was one of five children raised by CL Franklin, a preacher who eventually settled in Detroit, and inherited both his fiery temperament and love of music. After just a few weeks of dating, the pair. [117], On August 13, 2018, Franklin was reported to be gravely ill at her home in Riverfront Towers, Detroit. They had a special relationship.". I've been locked up (for disturbing the peace in Detroit) and I know you got to disturb the peace when you can't get no peace. Deacon Willie Todd declared, Reverend Franklin couldnt stand Ted, according to Vanity Fair. Franklin, played by Courtney B. Vance, in "Genius: Aretha.". Her first husband was Ted White, whom she married in 1961 at the age of 18. Franklin was married to Glynn Turman from 1978 to 1984. That seemed to be the kind of attention Franklin craved. However, according to Rolling Stone, "they weren't as terrible as some claimed, they were pro forma and never reached for new heights". Notably, all three of Turman's children have pursued his footsteps. The album of the same name was released after the single. [32], During this time, Franklin would occasionally travel with the Soul Stirrers. [193] The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences awarded her a Grammy Legend Award in 1991, then the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. However, just a few weeks later, the engagement ended. Some of these releases were from the acclaimed albums Spirit in the Dark and Young, Gifted and Black. The couple met backstage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion during a Ben Vereen show. [65] She appeared on the cover of Time magazine in June.[66]. [128] Her third child, Ted White Jr., was born to Franklin and her husband Theodore "Ted" White in February 1964 and is known professionally as Teddy Richards. At Atlantic, Franklin returned to her gospel-blues roots, and the results were sensational. Franklin's final top 40 single was 1998's "A Rose Is Still a Rose". Just under 10 years after her turbulent first marriage to former manager Ted White came to an end, the . [20], Aretha's father's emotionally driven sermons resulted in his being known as the man with the "million-dollar voice". Children. "There will be no wedding at this time.". In 2005 Franklin received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for revolutionizing music and helping to shape our Nations artistic and cultural heritage. Today she is widely considered the Queen of Soul.. Ted White was Aretha Franklin's first husband and the father of her third son ( she'd had two children as a teenager). A reluctant interviewee, Franklin kept her private life private, claiming that the popular perception associating her with the unhappiness of singers Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday was misinformed. [56] Franklin scored two additional top-ten singles in 1967, "Baby I Love You" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". 3 Franklin only spent one day recording at FAME, as an altercation broke out between her manager and husband Ted White, studio owner Rick Hall, and a horn player, and sessions were abandoned. [36] At the age of 16, Franklin went on tour with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and she would ultimately sing at his funeral in 1968. All Rights Reserved. The problem has been resolved". American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. "I felt like she needed counseling cause she kept missing gigs and kept taking all kinds of abuse from Ted. She channeled a world of pain into a sound all her own, but till the end,. She was introduced to Theodore "Ted" White by fellow singer Della Reese. [62][63][64] Franklin toured outside the US for the first time in May, including an appearance at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, where she played to a near-hysterical audience who covered the stage with flower petals. I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You) (1967), recorded at Fame Studios in Florence, Alabama, was her first million-seller. Glynn Turman Jr. was murdered in 1986 by Henry Eugene . Despite their short marriage, the former couple remained close friends throughout the years. [175][176] Numerous celebrities in the entertainment industry and politicians paid tribute to Franklin, including former U.S. President Barack Obama who said she "helped define the American experience". [122], Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Franklin moved to New York City in the 1960s where she lived until relocating to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. [152] A former chain smoker who struggled with alcoholism, she quit smoking in 1992. She was the 2008 MusiCares Person of the Year, performing at the Grammys days later. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. He had been to our house during several parties. 1. The album yielded Franklin's final top-40 hit of the decade, "Something He Can Feel", which also peaked at number one on the R&B chart. Omissions? [206][207] Asteroid 249516 Aretha was named in her honor in 2014. [12] By the time Aretha turned five, C. L. Franklin had permanently relocated the family to Detroit, where he took over the pastorship of the New Bethel Baptist Church. [198] Franklin became the second woman inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. [213], Franklin received honorary degrees from Harvard University and New York University in 2014,[214] as well as honorary doctorates in music from Princeton University, 2012;[215] Yale University, 2010;[216] Brown University, 2009;[217] University of Pennsylvania, 2007;[218] Berklee College of Music, 2006;[219] New England Conservatory of Music, 1997;[220] and University of Michigan, 1987. 'Respect' is as precise an artifact as a Ming vase. Franklin left Atlantic in 1979 and signed with Arista Records. Over 75 million copies of her albums have been sold. Not long after releasing her first album in 1961, Franklin met White at a Detroit Club called 20 Grand. She was a friend of Pavarotti and had sung the aria two nights prior at the annual MusiCares event. She was delivered at her family's home located at 406 Lucy Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee. "If anybody could rejuvenate Franklin's puzzlingly stuck career, it was Davis. She signed with Columbia Records in New York and released her first single, Today I Sing the Blues, in 1960. [226][227], A tribute concert, "Aretha! Franklin and White separated in 1968 and their divorce was finalized a year later. [223], After Franklin's death, fans added unofficial tributes to two New York City Subway stations: the Franklin Street station in Manhattan, served by the 1 train, and the Franklin Avenue station in Brooklyn, served by the C and S trains. adopted (Vaughn didn't learn C.L. Aretha Franklin, in full Aretha Louise Franklin, (born March 25, 1942, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.died August 16, 2018, Detroit, Michigan), American singer who defined the golden age of soul music of the 1960s. White is portrayed by actor Malcolm Barrett in Genius: Aretha. But that supportive nature did not carry over when Franklin and White grew closer. The next seven years' achievements were less impressive. Her father, C.L. Franklin recorded 112 charted singles on the US Billboard charts, including 73 Hot 100 entries, 17 top-ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries and 20 number-one R&B singles. READ MORE: Aretha Franklin: The Powerful Meaning Behind Her Equality Anthem "Respect". [6] In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked Franklin number one on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Theres nothing he wouldn't do for her. Donald and Aretha eventually split up and by 1961, she and Mr. Theodore Ted White were married. And Aretha Franklin knew that better than anyone. Franklin first met Cissy's young daughter, Whitney Houston, in the early 1970s. [89][90], Her final Arista album, So Damn Happy, was released in 2003 and featured the Grammy-winning song "Wonderful". The Young and the Restless ' Eric Braeden (Victor) was able to relive a very special moment when a photo popped up on his social media memories. "[40], Also in 1980, Franklin gave a command performance at London's Royal Albert Hall in front of Queen Elizabeth. "[59] Franklin's debut Atlantic album, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, also became commercially successful, later going gold. When Rolling Stone listed the "Women in Rock: 50 Essential Albums" in 2002 and again 2012, it listed Franklin's 1967, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, number one. Years after divorcing White, Aretha Franklin married actor Glenn Turman in 1978. American history wells up when Aretha sings. From that first session, Today I Sing the Blues (1960) remains a classic. [177] Civil rights activist and minister Al Sharpton called her a "civil rights and humanitarian icon". Shes a genius, and geniuses are plagued by their talent. [201] Following news of Franklin's surgery and recovery in February 2011, the Grammys ceremony paid tribute to the singer with a medley of her classics performed by Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, and Yolanda Adams. [17] Several women, including Aretha's grandmother, Rachel, and Mahalia Jackson, took turns helping with the children at the Franklin home. Their talent takes over their lives and overwhelms everything else, Cecil said. Other gospel greats of the dayAlbertina Walker and Jackie Verdellhelped shape young Franklins style. He has written for Billboard, Complex, and i-D, among other outlets. [76] "Davis was beguiling and had the golden touch", according to Rolling Stone. [35], Franklin and her father traveled to California, where she met singer Sam Cooke. ", "Aretha Franklin inducted into Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2015", "National Women's Hall of Fame Virtual Induction Series Inaugural Event December 10, 2020", "Sister Ree's Scrapbook, An Aretha Franklin Photo Gallery 13", "Aretha Franklin Biography and Interview", "Inez Andrews, Gospel Singer, Dies at 83", "Aretha Franklin: Lifelong commitment to Detroit", "Pickwick Group Ltd Aretha Franklin Songs Of Faith", "Obituary: Aretha Franklin, 16 August 2018", "Aretha Franklin: Remembering Her Many Ties To Chicago; She Became 'Queen Of Soul' Here", "Quincy Jones on Aretha Franklin: 'You Will Reign as the Queen Forever', "Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, Dead at 76", "Aretha Franklin Was the Defining Voice of the 20th Century", "Show 52 The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. According to Daily Mail, Aretha Franklin's early career was reportedly bankrolled by Ted White, the man she walked down . [33] As a young gospel singer, Franklin spent summers on the gospel circuit in Chicago and stayed with Mavis Staples' family. Aretha Franklin died of advanced pancreatic cancer on August 16, 2018, in Detroit, Michigan. After her parents separated, Franklin remained with her father in Detroit. The album sold well over a million copies thanks to the hits "Freeway of Love", the title track, and "Another Night". A brutal Detroit street criminal and . She was a genius songwriter and singer but could never escape her sibling's shadow - and died at just 43. The Respect singer was not married at the time of her passing, but she was in a serious relationship with her longtime partner,. This was reissued by Battle Records in 1962, under the same title. [117], From her time growing up in the home of a prominent African-American preacher to the end of her life, Franklin was immersed and involved in the struggle for civil rights and women's rights. [126] Both children took her family name. I asked my father if we could use his new car to go on Sam's tour.' Her father [the legendary Reverend C.L. [210] The Aretha Franklin Post Office Building was named in 2021, and is located at 12711 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Theodore Richard White (March 25, 1931 - October 26, 2020) was an American businessman, songwriter, music manager and producer from Detroit, Michigan. [2] Referred to as the "Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". They had one child, son Teddy Richards. After her fairy tale wedding and her enormous effort to paint a perfect picture in all the magazines, the end of this relationship was especially painful.. They separated when she was 6-year old. [13], The Franklins had a troubled marriage due to Mr. Franklin's infidelities, and they separated in 1948. "Arethas husband, Ted White, roughed her up in public," the piece says. As a teen, Aretha Franklin sang in a junior gospel choir. She released a gospel album, The Gospel Sound of Aretha Franklin, in 1956, at age 14. [40] The Atlantic days would lead to a series of hits for Aretha Franklin from 1967 to early 1972; her rapport with Wexler helped in the creation of the majority of her peak recordings with Atlantic. [202] That same year, she was ranked 19th among the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time top artists.[203][204]. In the early 1970s she triumphed at the Fillmore West in San Francisco before an audience of flower children and on whirlwind tours of Europe and Latin America. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aretha-Franklin, Aretha Franklin - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Aretha Franklin - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1987). Aretha Louise Franklin was the daughter of Rev. Per David Ritzs Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin, they first met in 1954 at a party, and White had a reputation as something of a smooth operator. Turman, 74, is best known for roles in Cooley High, The Wire, and House of Lies. Aretha Franklin died at 9.50am on Thursday aged 76, surrounded by family after battle with pancreatic cancer Glynn Turman, who was married to Franklin from 1978 to 1984, was joined by Stevie . Chicago Concert Reviews", "Elton John Celebrates 25 Years of His Foundation With Help From Bill Clinton, Aretha Franklin & Neil Patrick Harris", "The voice was incredible, but Aretha Franklin at the piano was also pure magic", "The Special Bond Between Aretha Franklin and Barack Obama", "Aretha Franklin Had a Huge Impact on the Civil Rights Movement", "Aretha Franklin, Civil Rights Stalwart: 'In Her Voice, We Could Feel Our History', "Aretha Franklin's History with Civil Rights, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Barack Obama", "Suzan Shown Harjo: Remembering a moment in time with the late Aretha Franklin", "Aretha Franklin's handwritten wills, if real, shed light on a titanic and complicated life", "Orgies, Attitudes And Anxieties: Biographer Paints Different Portrait Of Aretha Franklin", "Sam Cooke's Brother, Charles, Is Shot In Detroit", "Aretha Franklin's 'Forever Friend' Willie Wilkerson Dies of COVID-19 at 72", "Aretha Franklin to get married this summer | Celebrity Buzz", "Aretha Franklin Talks Turning 70 Years Old, Shares Update on Her Health", "Aretha Franklin Talks Faith, Miraculous Healing", "Why Aretha Franklin's legacy is inspiring others to write gospel music for the masses", "Aretha Franklin Plays the Longest National Anthem In U.S. History", "Aretha Franklin Sets The Record Straight On Her Health: 'I Don't Know Where Pancreatic Cancer Came From', "Aretha Franklin Has Died of Pancreatic Cancer: A Look at Her Health Over the Last Decade", "Aretha Franklin cancels 2 shows for undisclosed ailment", "Aretha Franklin taking June off, postponing shows", "Aretha Franklin cancels hometown show citing treatment", "Aretha Franklin not attending baseball luncheon", "Aretha Franklin Cancels September Show, Sparking Concerns Over Her Health", "Aretha Franklin happily sheds weight, embraces future", "Aretha Franklin Announces Retirement, Final Album", "Aretha Franklin said to be 'seriously ill', "Aretha Franklin 'gravely ill' in Detroit", "Stevie Wonder Visits Aretha Franklin As 'Queen of Soul' Rests in Hospice Care", "Aretha Franklin's newly discovered will complicates estate dispute", "This is what will happen to Aretha Franklin's estate", "Dressed like a 'resplendent' queen, Aretha Franklin rests in gold casket", "A note from the NET Research Foundation on the passing of Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul", "Aretha Franklin Died of Advanced Neuroendocrine Pancreatic Cancer. It took someone that slick to get a great talent like Aretha in his stable.. That February, Franklin earned the first two of her Grammys, including the debut category for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In 1985, inspired by a desire to have a "younger sound" in her music, Who's Zoomin' Who? They were engaged in March of 1978. She already knew him. "[118] Her songs "Respect" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" became anthems of these movements for social change. Before meeting Aretha Franklin He was a handsome man with a smooth manner and excellent taste. They called each other sweetie. The album's title track was her first top-40 single on the pop charts in six years. .css-ssumvd{display:block;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.0625rem;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.25;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-ssumvd:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-ssumvd{letter-spacing:0rem;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}Gayle King Interviews Angela Bassett, Gayle Says March Is a Good Month for TV Lovers, Sheryl Lee Ralphs Definition of True Love, What We Know About The Little Mermaid Remake, Oprah Congratulates Kimmel on 20 Years of His Show, Nikole Hannah-Jones on "The 1619 Project", Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Wakanda Forever Podcast, Oprah Is Acting in Tyler Perrys Next Netflix Film. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Franklin maintained a residence there until her death. For the next half-dozen years, she became a hit maker of unprecedented proportions; she was Lady Soul.. [190][191], Franklin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1979, had her voice declared a Michigan "natural resource" in 1985,[192] and became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. What Happens Now? When soul icon Aretha Franklin died in 2018, she left behind not only a mammoth catalog of hits, but four children.
