Barack Obama, Ariana Grande, and more remember Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul passed away at age 76.

August 16, 2018
Barack Obama, Ariana Grande, and more remember Aretha Franklin Aretha Franklin performs at Radio City Music Hall. February 17, 2012.   Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Aretha Franklin died on Thursday August 16 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The 76-year-old artist's moniker was "The Queen of Soul," and it was heard frequently in tributes that poured in on social media from around the world. Musicians like Chance The Rapper, Q-Tip, and Ariana Grande praised Franklin's half a century-plus legacy, while politicians like Barack Obama and Jeremy Corbyn hailed her drive for social justice. Read a selection of tweets and posts about Aretha Franklin below.

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The 3 seconds it takes for #ArethaFranklin to oooooze out the words “Sittin around..” is as pure & creative & as honest as any singer I’ve ever seen when a performance goes beyond mere entertainment. THIS is what we need to get back to. where raw genius rises above marketing strategy & monetary reach & “likes” (because let’s face it, look at the Billboard singles/Spotify singles/ITunes singles—-could she even find space to develop this talent? Or just give up & get a reality show and pray this works out? Now figure out the legions of talent that we either dismissed or passed on today or even the mesmerizing talent we’ve been shown near this level that can’t even begin to thrive in this environment without some angle) for those not in the know & wanna know, with the exception of her yet to be seen Sidney Pollack documentary Amazing Grace (her best captured 2 hours 1972 in chu’ch, in her zone in south central Los Angeles—-w The Rolling Stones sitting IN THE DECON SECTION)—-this Performance at the #MontreuxJazzFestival in 71 is as good as it gets: as a singer, as a bandleader (midshow she calls an audible and the brass section just gives up playing & accepts they are just happy to have best seats in the house), as a piano player—-so underrated!—and the fact she has her ace band in tow too (#KingCurtis as MD & #BernardPurdie on drizzums)—-this is her most magical effortless skillful scientific talents on display. Long Live #QueenAretha.

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Barack Obama, Ariana Grande, and more remember Aretha Franklin