The Final Chorus September 2018

This is The Final Chorus as it ran in our September 2018 print edition. You may find longer obituaries for each of those remembered here in an individualized format for sharing on our online Final Chorus page where new remembrances are posted as soon as the news comes in. Aretha Louise Franklin, 76, August 16th, of pancreatic cancer in Michigan; known as “The Queen of Soul.” She was born to a religious family; her father was well known Detroit Reverend C.L. Franklin and hosted many celebrities and musicians at their home. She showed musical gifts from a young age playing piano and singing for church. Her father supported her desire to perform popular music and managed her early career. Her early hits for Columbia marked her as a rising star but it was after a switch to Atlantic in 1967 that she rose to become a superstar, recording some of the most recognizable hits of the era, including “Respect” and “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.” She became the first woman to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She wore the mantle of Queen of Soul with grace and lent her money and celebrity to support civil rights causes, her father’s congregation, and the city of Detroit. She sang for several Presidents including at Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2008. [c