SNOW OTHER FEMALE SINGER WAS ADMIRED AS MUCH.
BILLBOARD SINGLES, 45 SONGS IN
THE TOP 40.
>> OUR NATION HONORS MS. ARETHA
FRANKLIN.
FRANKLIN. IN 2005, SHE RECEIVED THE
PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM.
A DEEPLY EMOTIONAL MOMENT FOR
THE SINGER WHO HAD BEEN HONORED
PREVIOUSLY BY PRESIDENT CLINTON
WITH A NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS
AND BY THE KENNEDY CENTER.
FRANKLIN WAS A DIVA, AND SHE
MADE NO BONES ABOUT IT.
BUT SHE WAS ALSO A TRAILBLAZER
FOR WOMEN AND AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTIST WHO
ACHIEVED SUCCESS AGAINST THE
BACKDROP OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT.
MOVEMENT. ♪
♪ HER LIST OF FIRSTS GOES ON
FOREVER.
FOREVER. LIKE BEING THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE
INDUCTED INTO THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL
HALL OF FAME.
SHE USED HER VOICE TO CRASH
THROUGH BARRIERS.
THROUGH BARRIERS. ♪ OUR COUNTRY ’TIS OF THEE ♪
>> Reporter: ROLLING STONE ONCE
RANKED AREETHSA FRANKLIN THE
NUMBER ONE GREATEST SINGER OF
ALL TIME.
ALL TIME. SHE HAD AN ALMOST MATERNAL
ATTITUDE TOWARD HER OWN SONGS.
>> I’VE GOT CHILDREN, I LOVE
THEM ALL, BUT THERE ARE SOME I
LIKE A LITTLE MORE THAN OTHERS.
"RESPECT."
"RESPECT." CERTAINLY "THE FREEWAY," "JUMP
TO IT."
TO IT." "NATURAL WOMAN."
"NATURAL WOMAN." >> Reporter: MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS KNOW HER MUSIC BY
HEART.
HEART. ALL WE NEED IS THE FIRST FEW
NOTES AND WE KNOW IT.
ALL BECAUSE SHE SET THE WAY.
♪
♪ ARETHA LOUISE FRANKLIN WAS BORN
IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.
HER FATHER REVEREND FRANKLIN WAS
A WELL-KNOWN BAPTIST MINISTER.
HER MOTHER A SINGER AND PIANIST.
IT WASN’T ALWAYS A HAPPY OR
STABLE HOME, AND SO MUSIC PLAYED
A BIG ROLE IN ARETHA FRANKLIN’S
LIFE.
LIFE. SHE WAS A CHILD PRODIGY.
SHE WAS PERFORMING IN CHURCH AND
PLAYING PIANO BY THE AGE OF 10.
>> THEY PUT A SMALL BOX IN FRONT
OF THE PULPIT SO I COULD BE SEEN
OVER THE PULPIT AND THAT’S WHERE
I WOULD STAND AND SING.
>> Reporter: BY 14, SHE RECORDED
HER FIRST ALBUM.
TEENAGE MOTHERHOOD DERAILED HER
MUSICAL CAREER FOR A SPELL BUT
BY HER EARLY 20s SHE HIT THE TOP
TEN WITH HER SONG "I NEVER LOVED
A MAN."
A MAN." ♪
♪ >> Reporter: ONE YEAR LATER, SHE
WON HER FIRST TWO GRAMMYS FOR
"RESPECT" AND AS THEY SAY, A
STAR WAS BORN.
♪
♪ >> SOMETHING VERY ELECTRIC, LIKE
A NEON SIGN LIGHTS UP INSIDE OF
LADY SOUL, MISS ARETHA.
WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE?
>> I FEEL GOOD.
DOES THAT HAPPEN, REALLY?
A LIGHT UP?
>> YES.
>> YES. >> Reporter: IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG
FOR HER TO BE DUBBED THE QUEEN
OF SOUL.
OF SOUL. AND THERE WAS NO ARGUMENT.
AFTER HITTING A ROUGH SPOT WITH
DISMAL RECORD SALES IN THE
MID’70s, FRANKLIN FOUND A WAY TO
BREAK THROUGH AGAIN IN THE CULT
CLASSIC "THE BLUES BROTHERS."
♪
♪ SHE WAS SIGNED TO ARISTA RECORDS
SOON AFTER AND COULDN’T BE
STOPPED AFTER THAT.
COUNTLESS HITS AND HONORS
FOLLOWED.
FOLLOWED. MEMORABLE COLLABORATIONS WITH
THE GREATS OF OUR TIME,
INCLUDING THE LATE LUTHER
VANDROSS AND HER HUGE HIT WITH
GEORGE MICHAEL.
GEORGE MICHAEL. HER LIFE WAS NOT WITHOUT ITS
STRUGGLES AND DEMONS.
IN HER LATER YEARS SHE PREFERRED
A LIFE OF PRIVACY AND STAYED
HOME IN DETROIT FOR LONG
STRETCHES OF TIME.
ARETHA FRANKLIN IS SURVIVED BY
HER FOUR SONS AND MILLIONS OF
FANS AROUND THE WORLD.
>> I LOVE WHAT I DO.
AND I JUST WOULDN’T BE DOING
ANYTHING ELSE.
ANYTHING ELSE. IN FACT, WHAT ELSE WOULD I HAVE
DONE?
DONE? ♪ YOU MAKE ME FEEL
YOU MAKE ME FEEL
LIKE A NATURAL WOMAN ♪
>> Reporter: LESTER HOLT, NBC
NEWS.
NEWS. >> WE WILL MISS EVERYTHING ABOUT
HER.
HER. ARETHA FRANKLIN’S PUBLICIST
REVEALING THE SUPERSTAR DIED AT
HER HOME IN DETROIT.
SHE HAD BEEN BATTLING ADVANCED
PANCREATIC CANCER AND WAS
REPORTED TO BE GRAVELY ILL
EARLIER THIS WEEK.
FRANKLIN’S FAMILY JUST MOMENTS
AGO RELEASING A STATEMENT THAT
READS IN PART, IN ONE OF THE
DARKEST MOMENTS OF OUR LIVES, WE
ARE NOT ABLE TO FIND THE
APPROPRIATE WORDS TO EXPRESS THE
PAIN IN OUR HEART.
WE HAVE LOST THE MATRIARCH AND
ROCK OF OUR FAMILY.
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE
WITH THEM AND MORE RIGHT NOW ON
MSNBC AND NBC NEWS.COM.
WE WILL RETURN MOST OF YOU NOW
TO MORE OF "TODAY."
I’M CRAIG MELVIN IN NEW YORK.