Sad news is overflowing the media: Aretha Franklin passed away at the age of 76.
The Queen of Soul had her annual performances scheduled for 2018 but was forced to cancel
due to health problems.
“Aretha Franklin has been ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest completely
for at least the next two months,” Franklin’s management said at the time.
In tribute to the great singer Aretha Franklin, we will recall her wonderful life journey
to the top of soul music.
Aretha has been through a lot of drama on her way to her stunning popularity.
The soul star started in Tennessee.
The poor girl had to endure a lot when her parents divorced and she had to stay with
her father, Clarence LaVaughan Franklin, or 'CL' for short, who was a Baptist minister.
Aretha was introduced to adulthood too early.
Perhaps due to her father’s contradictory lifestyle.
In his book, Respect, writer David Ritz quotes Ray Charles, admitting that the church would
often host big orgies.
Aretha got pregnant with her first child at the age of 12.
Just two years later she gave birth to her second son, Edward.
She was just a child herself and had to handle a lot of childcare responsibilities with the
help of her grandmother and elder sister.
Regardless of her age, Aretha has always been a gifted singer and pianist.
At that time she was touring with her father’s 'gospel caravan' tours.
Finally ending up in New York, Aretha signed with Columbia Records.
It wasn’t the only major event in her life during that time.
At the age of 19 she married her manager, Ted White.
In 1961 the company released her first album and her song Rock-a-Bye became her first international
hit, reaching the Top 40 in Australia and Canada.
Her career was growing extremely fast.
It seemed that all the clouds above had cleared away but she got trapped once again.
By the mid 60’s Aretha was netting $100,000 from her myriads of nightclub and theatre performances.
Aretha was rocking the charts, but she had no luck in her personal life.
Her manager and husband Ted White turned out to be anything but sincere.
"Everyone knew that Ted White was a brutal man," her sister-in-law Earline told Ritz for the book.
She said that Franklin was scared to change her life and didn’t want to ruin her public image.
Aretha was trying to escape from her husband’s violence and family abuse and started drinking and overeating.
But enough was enough and she could bare White’s roughness no longer.
Even though they had a baby, Ted White Jr., she couldn’t stay with him.
The singer finally split from her husband in 1968.
Three years later she gave birth to her fourth son, Kecalf, from her road manager Ken Cunningham.
But she was losing hope of finding a decent man that she could rely on.
Aretha’s unhappy romances and painful childhood contributed to her insecurities.
"She was afraid she wasn't good enough as a singer, pretty enough as a woman, or devoted
enough as a mother.
I don’t know what to call it but deep, deep insecurity," her sister Carolyn said.
Ten years later Franklin married actor Glynn Turman, hoping for a brighter family life
and finally embracing love and a happy marriage.
She became a Grammy-winning singer.
Her 5th album made platinum, selling millions of copies due to her hit songs Freeway of
Love and Another Night.
But her dreams for a happy life were crushed 4 years later following her divorce from Glynn.
It wasn’t the only tragedy for her family that year.
Aretha was devastated to find out her father was shot twice in his house.
He stayed in a coma for 5 years and eventually died in 1984.
Though her talent and uniqueness are undeniable, Aretha lacks some luck in her business.
By 2015 she got into some trouble for overdue tax bills.
The headache from the paperwork has added to her health condition.
Reflecting on her rapid weight loss, Aretha said: "I have diabetes, really, from years
ago when I was really badly and grossly overweight.
Now, I'm back to my natural size and thrilled about it."
Aretha Franklin had a wonderful life, but nonetheless filled with heartache.
She had fought all her life and had to face one last battle at the age of 76.
She is an icon of strength and power, and the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Rolling Stones named her the greatest singer of all time.
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