Aretha Franklin (1942-2018): Her life in photos
- 1/34
A posed portrait of Aretha Franklin, wearing an engagement ring, in 1963.
- 2/34
Aretha Franklin signs to Atlantic Records with Jerry Wexler (left) and her husband-manager, Ted White, in 1967.
- 3/34
Jerry Wexler, Aretha Franklin, and her husband-manager, Ted White, pose with her platinum records in 1968.
- 4/34
Aretha Franklin performs on “The Andy Williams Show” in 1969.
- 5/34
Aretha Franklin and Tom Jones on Jones’s TV show in 1970.
- 6/34
Aretha Franklin performs onstage in 1970.
- 7/34
Aretha Franklin performs on Muhammad Ali’s ABC variety special in 1975.
- 8/34
Aretha Franklin with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd on the set of “The Blues Brothers,” circa 1980.
- 9/34
American gospel singer Aretha Franklin.
- 10/34
Aretha Franklin at the 10th annual American Music Awards in 1983.
- 11/34
Aretha Franklin onstage in the 1980s.
- 12/34
Aretha Franklin joins George Michael during his Faith World Tour in 1988.
- 13/34
Aretha Franklin with Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey, Carole King, Shania Twain, and Celine Dion at “VH1 Divas” in 1998.
- 14/34
Aretha Franklin with “A Rose Is Still a Rose” producer Lauryn Hill in 1998.
- 15/34
Producer-arranger Narrada Michael Walden, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston during the recording of “It Isn’t, It Wasn’t, It Ain’t Gonna Be Me” in 1989.
- 16/34
Aretha Franklin performs at the Friars Club for Clive Davis’s roast in 1992.
- 17/34
Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross with a crowd in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 17, 1993. Numerous musicians and performers gathered in front of the memorial to celebrate the inauguration of President Bill Clinton.
- 18/34
Aretha Franklin sings outside the Lincoln Memorial during Bill Clinton’s inauguration week in 1993.
- 19/34
Smokey Robinson kisses Aretha Franklin at a rehearsal for the “Aretha Franklin: Duets” concert in 1993.
- 20/34
Aretha Franklin poses with the Blues Brothers (John Goodman, J. Evan Bonifant, Joe Morton, and Dan Aykroyd) at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998.
- 21/34
Aretha Franklin performs at a JVC Jazz Festival concert in 2000.
- 22/34
Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder perform at “VH1 Divas Live: The One and Only Aretha Franklin” in 2001.
- 23/34
Paul Thomas and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte, Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, and Britney Spears.
- 24/34
Aretha Franklin performs at Radio City Music Hall in 2003.
- 25/34
President George W. Bush awarding Aretha Franklin the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
- 26/34
Aretha Franklin performs at the Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton, Fla., in 2005.
- 27/34
Aretha Franklin at the Inaugural Celebration to Benefit the Steven J. Ross Scholarship Fund in 2006.
- 28/34
Aretha Franklin performs at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008.
- 29/34
Aretha Franklin performs at the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009.
- 30/34
Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox perform at the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concert at Madison Square Garden in 2009.
- 31/34
Aretha Franklin sings the national anthem at the 363rd commencement ceremony at Harvard University in 2014.
- 32/34
Pope Francis looks on as Aretha Franklin performs during the Festival of Families in 2015.
- 33/34
Clive Davis attends Aretha Franklin’s 74th birthday celebration at the Ritz-Carlton New York in 2016.
- 34/34
Aretha Franklin gives her final performance, at the Elton John AIDS Foundation gala on Nov. 7, 2017.
The legendary Aretha Franklin died Thursday at age 76 at her home in Detroit. She leaves behind a legacy as one of our great national treasures. Here, we take a look at the career of the Queen of Soul.