Aretha Franklin, legendary Hall of Fame soul singer who influenced countless vocalists, has died at age 76 https://t.co/qiLLQHqT6m pic.twitter.com/TtMD0trB5F
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) August 16, 2018

Aretha Franklin — the undisputed Queen of Soul — has died at her Detroit home. She was 76 years old.

The first woman to be inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame had been in poor health as of late, and fans have spent the last week paying tribute and sending prayers to her after complications from pancreatic cancer landed Franklin in hospice care. A publicist confirmed the news this morning.

“It is with deep and profound sadness that we announce the passing of Aretha Louise Franklin, the Queen of Soul,” publicist Gwendolyn Quinn said in a statement. “Franklin … passed away on Thursday morning, August 16 at 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit, MI, surrounded by family and loved ones. 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. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.

“We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters and fans all around the world,” Quinn added. “Thank you for your compassion and prayers. We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.

Franklin has been a mainstay on the digital pages of CL where we've had fun with her long national anthem and the Aretha Franklin Ocala hoax while also marking milestones in a career that truly changed the face of popular music.

"Think" and "I Never Loved A Man" were two of Franklin's early hits, and her illustrious career would span decades and earn her sacred status among singers and songwriters from every genre. She was a commanding voice of the 1960s movement for civil rights, and even sang at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King when she was just 16 years old. In 2015, Franklin's performance at the Kennedy Center Honors moved Barack Obama to tears.