Happy Heavenly Birthday to Aretha Franklin!
The Queen of Soul was born on March 25, 1942 and would have been 78-years-old today. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee but moved to Detroit, Michigan with her family at an early age. Her father was a Baptist preacher and her mother was a gospel singer.
Franklin started off her singing career in the church and began singing secular music when she was 18-years-old. By the end of the 1960s Franklin was known as the "Queen of Soul" with several hits such as "Respect," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and "I Say a Little Prayer."
With having a music career that lasted more than 5 decades, Franklin received many top honors and awards. She was also the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and sang at the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009.
Aretha Franklin passed away on August 16, 2018 at her home surrounded by her closest friends and family.