Aretha Franklin: A Life in Photos
Aretha Franklin: A Life in Photos

In this March 13, 1972 photo, Aretha Franklin holds her Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blue performance of the song “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” in New York. (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff)
This March 26, 1972 photo shows the Rev. Jesse Jackson speaking to reporters at the Operation PUSH Soul Picnic in New York as Tom Todd, vice president of PUSH, from second left, Aretha Franklin and Louis Stokes. (AP Photo/Jim Wells)
In this Feb. 11, 2011 photo, Aretha Franklin walks on the court with Jesse Jackson after the Detroit Pistons-Miami Heat NBA basketball game in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
In this March 26, 1973 photo, soul singer Aretha Franklin appears at a news conference. A person close to Franklin said on Monday that the 76-year-old singer is ill. Franklin canceled planned concerts earlier this year after she was ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest up. (AP Photo, File)
In this March 3, 1975 photo, Aretha Franklin poses with her Grammy Award for for best female R&B vocal performance for “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” at the 17th Annual Grammy Award presentation in New York. (AP Photo)
In this April 8, 1975 photo, Aretha Franklin performs during the 47th Annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)
In this Aug. 30, 1988 photo, Aretha Franklin joins George Michael during his Faith World Tour in Auburn Hills, Mich. A person close to Franklin said on Monday that the 76-year-old singer is ill. Franklin canceled planned concerts earlier this year after she was ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest up. (AP Photo/Rob Kozloff, File)
In this Jan. 11, 1987 photo, soul singers James Brown and Aretha Franklin sing during a Home Box Office taping at the Taboo night club in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rob Kozloff)
In this April 28, 1993 photo, Aretha Franklin, foreground left, performs in the finale of “Aretha Franklin: Duets,” an AIDS benefit concert for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York, as singers Smokey Robinson, background from left, Gloria Estefan, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt and actors Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro look on. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm)
In this Jan. 19, 1993 photo, singer Aretha Franklin performs at the inaugural gala for President Bill Clinton in Washington. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)
In this Dec. 4, 1994 photo, President Bill Clinton, from right, and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton applaud the 1994 Kennedy Center Honors award recipients, from left, songwriter Pete Seeger, director Harold Prince, composer Morton Gould, singer Aretha Franklin and actor Kirk Douglas during a reception in the East Room of the White House. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)
In this July 5, 1989 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. (AP Photo/Mario Suriani)
In this June 15, 2004 photo, singer Aretha Franklin sings the National Anthem before the start of game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
In this Nov. 9, 2005 photo, President George W. Bush awards singer Aretha Franklin the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, the highest civilian award, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson, File)
In this June 4, 2005 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the McDonald’s Gospelfest 2005 in New York. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)
In this Feb. 5, 2006 photo, Aretha Franklin and Dr. John, background on piano, perform the national anthem before the Super Bowl XL football game in Detroit. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
In this Nov. 21, 2008 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Shea Walsh)
In this Jan. 20, 2009 photo, Aretha Franklin performs during the inauguration ceremony as Joe Biden, left, Barack Obama, right, and his daughter Malia Obama watch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
In this Jan. 20, 2009 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the inauguration for President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
In this July 26, 2010 photo, soul singer Aretha Franklin poses for a portrait in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
In this July 27, 2010 photo, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, and Aretha Franklin perform at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
In this May 17, 2011 photo Aretha Franklin and Oprah Winfrey acknowledge fans during a star-studded double-taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular,” in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
In this Oct. 16, 2011 photo, Aretha Franklin sings as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama look on during the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
This Jan. 14, 2012 photo shows singer Aretha Franklin performing during the BET Honors at the Warner Theatre in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
In this July 8, 2012 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. (Photo by Cheryl Gerber/Invision/AP)
In this May 29, 2014 photo, singer Aretha Franklin waves as she receives an honorary Doctor of Arts degree as Chilean author Isabel Allende, left, and former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, right, look on during Harvard commencement ceremonies in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
In this June 7, 2015 photo, Aretha Franklin sings during a memorial service for her father and brother, Rev. C.L. and Rev. Cecil Franklin, at New Bethel Baptist Church where they were ministers, in Detroit, Mich. (Elizabeth Conley/The Detroit News via AP)
In this Sept. 26, 2015 photo, Aretha Franklin performs as Pope Francis is seated left, looks on during the Festival of Families in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
In this Aug. 26, 2017 photo, Aretha Franklin performs in concert at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)
In this April 19, 2017, photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the world premiere of “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives” at Radio City Music Hall, during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
In this Nov. 7, 2017 photo, Aretha Franklin attends the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Gala in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

In this March 13, 1972 photo, Aretha Franklin holds her Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blue performance of the song “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” in New York. (AP Photo/Dave Pickoff)
This March 26, 1972 photo shows the Rev. Jesse Jackson speaking to reporters at the Operation PUSH Soul Picnic in New York as Tom Todd, vice president of PUSH, from second left, Aretha Franklin and Louis Stokes. (AP Photo/Jim Wells)
This March 26, 1972 photo shows the Rev. Jesse Jackson speaking to reporters at the Operation PUSH Soul Picnic in New York as Tom Todd, vice president of PUSH, from second left, Aretha Franklin and Louis Stokes. (AP Photo/Jim Wells)
In this Feb. 11, 2011 photo, Aretha Franklin walks on the court with Jesse Jackson after the Detroit Pistons-Miami Heat NBA basketball game in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
In this March 26, 1973 photo, soul singer Aretha Franklin appears at a news conference. A person close to Franklin said on Monday that the 76-year-old singer is ill. Franklin canceled planned concerts earlier this year after she was ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest up. (AP Photo, File)
In this March 26, 1973 photo, soul singer Aretha Franklin appears at a news conference. A person close to Franklin said on Monday that the 76-year-old singer is ill. Franklin canceled planned concerts earlier this year after she was ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest up. (AP Photo, File)
In this March 3, 1975 photo, Aretha Franklin poses with her Grammy Award for for best female R&B vocal performance for “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” at the 17th Annual Grammy Award presentation in New York. (AP Photo)
In this March 3, 1975 photo, Aretha Franklin poses with her Grammy Award for for best female R&B vocal performance for “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” at the 17th Annual Grammy Award presentation in New York. (AP Photo)
In this April 8, 1975 photo, Aretha Franklin performs during the 47th Annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)
In this Aug. 30, 1988 photo, Aretha Franklin joins George Michael during his Faith World Tour in Auburn Hills, Mich. A person close to Franklin said on Monday that the 76-year-old singer is ill. Franklin canceled planned concerts earlier this year after she was ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest up. (AP Photo/Rob Kozloff, File)
In this Aug. 30, 1988 photo, Aretha Franklin joins George Michael during his Faith World Tour in Auburn Hills, Mich. A person close to Franklin said on Monday that the 76-year-old singer is ill. Franklin canceled planned concerts earlier this year after she was ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest up. (AP Photo/Rob Kozloff, File)
In this Jan. 11, 1987 photo, soul singers James Brown and Aretha Franklin sing during a Home Box Office taping at the Taboo night club in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rob Kozloff)
In this April 28, 1993 photo, Aretha Franklin, foreground left, performs in the finale of “Aretha Franklin: Duets,” an AIDS benefit concert for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York, as singers Smokey Robinson, background from left, Gloria Estefan, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt and actors Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro look on. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm)
In this April 28, 1993 photo, Aretha Franklin, foreground left, performs in the finale of “Aretha Franklin: Duets,” an AIDS benefit concert for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York, as singers Smokey Robinson, background from left, Gloria Estefan, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt and actors Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro look on. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm)
In this Jan. 19, 1993 photo, singer Aretha Franklin performs at the inaugural gala for President Bill Clinton in Washington. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)
In this Dec. 4, 1994 photo, President Bill Clinton, from right, and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton applaud the 1994 Kennedy Center Honors award recipients, from left, songwriter Pete Seeger, director Harold Prince, composer Morton Gould, singer Aretha Franklin and actor Kirk Douglas during a reception in the East Room of the White House. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)
In this Dec. 4, 1994 photo, President Bill Clinton, from right, and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton applaud the 1994 Kennedy Center Honors award recipients, from left, songwriter Pete Seeger, director Harold Prince, composer Morton Gould, singer Aretha Franklin and actor Kirk Douglas during a reception in the East Room of the White House. (AP Photo/Doug Mills)
In this July 5, 1989 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. (AP Photo/Mario Suriani)
In this June 15, 2004 photo, singer Aretha Franklin sings the National Anthem before the start of game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
In this June 15, 2004 photo, singer Aretha Franklin sings the National Anthem before the start of game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers in Auburn Hills, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
In this Nov. 9, 2005 photo, President George W. Bush awards singer Aretha Franklin the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, the highest civilian award, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson, File)
In this Nov. 9, 2005 photo, President George W. Bush awards singer Aretha Franklin the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, the highest civilian award, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson, File)
In this June 4, 2005 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the McDonald’s Gospelfest 2005 in New York. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)
In this Feb. 5, 2006 photo, Aretha Franklin and Dr. John, background on piano, perform the national anthem before the Super Bowl XL football game in Detroit. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
In this Nov. 21, 2008 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Shea Walsh)
In this Jan. 20, 2009 photo, Aretha Franklin performs during the inauguration ceremony as Joe Biden, left, Barack Obama, right, and his daughter Malia Obama watch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
In this Jan. 20, 2009 photo, Aretha Franklin performs during the inauguration ceremony as Joe Biden, left, Barack Obama, right, and his daughter Malia Obama watch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
In this Jan. 20, 2009 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the inauguration for President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
In this July 26, 2010 photo, soul singer Aretha Franklin poses for a portrait in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
In this July 27, 2010 photo, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, and Aretha Franklin perform at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
In this May 17, 2011 photo Aretha Franklin and Oprah Winfrey acknowledge fans during a star-studded double-taping of “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular,” in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
In this Oct. 16, 2011 photo, Aretha Franklin sings as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama look on during the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
In this Oct. 16, 2011 photo, Aretha Franklin sings as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama look on during the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
This Jan. 14, 2012 photo shows singer Aretha Franklin performing during the BET Honors at the Warner Theatre in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
In this July 8, 2012 photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. (Photo by Cheryl Gerber/Invision/AP)
In this May 29, 2014 photo, singer Aretha Franklin waves as she receives an honorary Doctor of Arts degree as Chilean author Isabel Allende, left, and former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, right, look on during Harvard commencement ceremonies in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
In this May 29, 2014 photo, singer Aretha Franklin waves as she receives an honorary Doctor of Arts degree as Chilean author Isabel Allende, left, and former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg, right, look on during Harvard commencement ceremonies in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
In this June 7, 2015 photo, Aretha Franklin sings during a memorial service for her father and brother, Rev. C.L. and Rev. Cecil Franklin, at New Bethel Baptist Church where they were ministers, in Detroit, Mich. (Elizabeth Conley/The Detroit News via AP)
In this June 7, 2015 photo, Aretha Franklin sings during a memorial service for her father and brother, Rev. C.L. and Rev. Cecil Franklin, at New Bethel Baptist Church where they were ministers, in Detroit, Mich. (Elizabeth Conley/The Detroit News via AP)
In this Sept. 26, 2015 photo, Aretha Franklin performs as Pope Francis is seated left, looks on during the Festival of Families in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
In this Aug. 26, 2017 photo, Aretha Franklin performs in concert at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP)
In this April 19, 2017, photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the world premiere of “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives” at Radio City Music Hall, during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
In this April 19, 2017, photo, Aretha Franklin performs at the world premiere of “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives” at Radio City Music Hall, during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
In this Nov. 7, 2017 photo, Aretha Franklin attends the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Gala in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)