A Look Back at Aretha Franklin's Most Unforgettable Performances
Aretha Franklin was the undisputed Queen of Soul. Throughout her 60-year career, she won 18 Grammy Awards and sold over 75 million records worldwide. Her live performances are legendary and she has performed in front of millions at the Grammy awards and at occasions both solemn (Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral) and historically resonant (Barack Obama's inauguration). In 2015, she even brought Obama to tears at The Kennedy Center Honors.
On August 16, the 76-year-old singer died at her home in Detroit, the Associated Press confirms. On Monday, reporter Evrod Cassimy had confirmed on Twitter that Aretha was "gravely ill." In a separate statement, Roger Friedman's Showbiz 411 shared that Aretha was "surrounded by family and people close to her. She will be so missed as a mother, sister, friend, cousin. But her legacy is larger than life."
Aretha's final performance was last November at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's Enduring Vision benefit gala; she had announced in February of 2017 that she was retiring from touring, though not from recording.
Below is a selection of some of Aretha's most iconic performances, beginning with her performance at the Kennedy Center Honors, which went viral three years ago (it begins at :51).
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" at Kennedy Center Honors, 2015
"Plant My Feet on Higher Ground" at Smithsonian Salutes Ray Charles at the White House, 2015
"Rolling in the Deep" on the Late Show With David Letterman, 2014
"Amazing Grace" at PBS's Women of Soul at the White House, 2014
"My Country Tis of Thee" at Barack Obama's Inauguration, 2009
"Chain of Fools" With Mariah Carey at VH1's Divas Live, 1998
"I Say a Little Prayer" on This Is Tom Jones, 1970
"Respect" at Aretha Franklin Day in Detroit, 1968
"Precious Lord" at Martin Luther King Jr.'s Funeral, 1968
"Do Right Woman" on The Merv Griffin Show, 1967
You Might Also Like
