Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
Entertainment

Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle and Others Pay Their ‘R.E.S.P.E.C.T’ to the Iconic Aretha Franklin

By | Published on August 16, 2018
CommentsComments (0) Add as a preferred source on Google i
Celebrities React To Aretha Franklin's Passing

Wikimedia Commons

As we previously reported, Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul, has passed away at the age of 76 from pancreatic cancer.

Within minutes of the news, people from the entertainment and political world reacted, including President Barack Obama who said Franklin was the voice of an entire nation. The legendary singer sung “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)” at Obama’s 2009 inauguration.

“Aretha helped define the American experience,” tweeted Obama. “In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade — our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May The Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace.”

Others who reacted include Diana Ross, John Legend, Missy Elliott, Ava Duvernay and Patti LaBelle, who said Franklin’s music was a huge part of day-to-day life.

“I am deeply saddened about the passing of The Queen of Soul and my sister in song, Aretha Franklin,” wrote LaBelle. “Today the world has experienced a tremendous loss. Aretha was a rare treasure whose unmatched musical genius helped craft the soundtrack to the lives of so many. My sympathy, love and prayers go out to her family, loved ones and fans around the globe.”

The sports teams in Franklin’s hometown of Detroit also responded to the sad news. The Detroit Tigers, for example, lit up a sign in Comerica Park with her photo and the word “Respect” written out. Plus, the Detroit Lions, the Pistons, basketball legend Isiah Thomas and ESPN’s Jemele Hill all sent tweets.

In addition, a rep for the Motown Museum announced they’ll start paying tribute to the singer by playing her music from Aug.17-19. Motown’s founder Berry Gordy also spoke of Franklin’s passing and said even though she wasn’t part of the Motown roster, she was part of the family. 

“A national treasure to everyone,” he said in a statement. “But to me personally, Aretha Franklin was my dear, dear friend, my homegirl and I loved her a lot. From seeing her as a baby singing and playing at the piano at her father’s home, to her giving a rousing performance at the White House, she has always been amazing.”

“No matter how the music has changed over the years, she remained so relevant,” added Gordy. “Though never signed to Motown, Aretha was considered part of my family. We always shared fond memories of the Motor City, life and just things.”

You can see other celebrity reactions below.

https://twitter.com/ava/status/1030098649395724289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1030098649395724289&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Faretha-franklin-death-stars-react-today-2018-08-16%2F

Subscribe To The ABS Newsletter — Get our stories in your inbox.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Latest from Atlanta Black Star

Back to top