Aretha Franklin has passed away at the age of 76.
The singer died at her home in Detroit, Michigan today, a representative of hers has confirmed.
She had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.
Known as the ‘Queen of Soul’, Aretha had recently cancelled a number of shows due to poor health.
“She has been ill for a long time,” a source told PEOPLE earlier this week.
“She did not want people to know and she didn’t make it public.”
She had announced her partial retirement last year, saying that she would only perform at “select things.”
A legendary recording artist and performer, Aretha’s legacy is difficult to overstate.
Born and raised in Detroit, she started off singing gospel at her father’s church and taught herself to play piano.
She hit mainstream success in the late 1960s and would go on to and earn over 40 Grammy nominations, winning 18.
Aretha was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was named by Rolling Stone as the Greatest Singer of All Time.
She’s best known for hits including Respect, Say A Little Prayer and Natural Woman.
Aretha leaves behind four sons – Clarence, Edward, Teddy and Kecalf – the eldest of whom she gave birth to at the age of 12.
