Quick Facts

Aretha Franklin was an outstanding American singer. Aretha Franklin was a civil rights activist as well as a singer. She won numerous awards and was given numerous honors as a singer.

How much was the net worth of Aretha Franklin?

2.5 million people are following Aretha Franklin’s journey on Facebook. On November 9, 2018, the singer’s YouTube channel “Aretha Franklin” was launched. This channel has received more than 161.4 million views and 312K subscribers.

Moving on, Aretha Franklin’s net worth was estimated to be $80 million US dollars. Aretha Franklin, on the other hand, owed $8 million in taxes at the time of her death, according to her longtime attorney, David Bennett.

Aretha Franklin, known as the “Queen of Soul,” was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She  had an estimated net worth of $80 million at the time of her death in 2018. This figure incorporates the worth of her likeness, music catalog, and royalty stream.

Early Years and Family

Aretha Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, and died on August 16, 2018, at the age of 76. Her zodiac sign is Aries, and she was born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Likewise, Aretha Louise Franklin is her full name.

Aretha Franklin was born to Barbara (née Siggers) and Clarence LaVaughn “C. L.” Franklin. She was born at 406 Lucy Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, at her family’s home. Aretha Franklin’s father was a Baptist minister who traveled around the country preaching. Clarence grew up in Shelby, Mississippi. Similarly, Aretha Franklin’s mother was a pianist and singer.

How many Siblings did Aretha Franklin have?

Aretha Franklin’s parents both had children from previous marriages. The couple gave birth to four biological children together. As a result, Erma Franklin, Carolyn Franklin, and Cecil Franklin were Aretha’s biological siblings. Both of her sisters were professional musicians who worked on Aretha Franklin’s recordings for years, providing background vocals.

Similarly, Aretha Franklin’s brother took over as her manager until his death on December 26, 1989, from lung cancer. Carolyn died from breast cancer in April 1988, and Erma died from throat cancer in September 2002. Vaughn and Carol Kelley are Aretha’s half-brothers. Carol died in 2019, and Vaughn died in late 2002.

Aretha’s family moved to Buffalo, New York, when she was 2 years old. Her family had permanently relocated to Detroit by the time she was five years old. Her father became pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church in that city.

Who were the Parents of Aretha Franklin?

Similarly, Aretha’s parents’ marriage was strained as a result of her father’s extramarital affairs. Aretha’s parents eventually divorced in 1948. Her mother had returned to Buffalo with her half-brother, Vaughn, at the time. Following their divorce, Aretha traveled to see her mother in Buffalo during the summer, while her mother frequently visited them in Detroit.

Her mother also died of a heart attack on March 7, 1952. This was before Aretha Franklin’s tenth birthday. Aretha attended public school in Detroit after that. She attended Northern High School for her freshman year. Aretha, on the other hand, dropped out of this school during her sophomore year.

Many celebrities paid Aretha Franklin’s father a visit at their home. Early Caravans members Albertina Walker and Inez Andrew, as well as gospel musicians Clara Ward and James Cleveland, were among them. Furthermore, Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Wilson, and Sam Cooke became close friends with Aretha Franklin’s father. Clara, a musician, was also romantically involved with her father from around 1949 until Clara’s death in 1973.

Aretha Franklin’s Professional Career

Aretha Franklin was a well-known singer as well as a civil rights activist. She began her career as a child singer of gospel music. It all started at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. Aretha Franklin’s father was a minister in this church. Then, at the age of 18, Aretha began her secular music career.

It was a career as a Columbia Records recording artist. Aretha Franklin achieved commercial success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You), Think, You Make Me Feel Like (A Natural Woman), Respect, Chain of Fools, and I Say a Little Prayer are among Aretha Franklin’s hit songs.

Aretha Franklin was known as the “Queen of Soul” by the end of the 1960s. Aretha Franklin went on to record classic albums such as I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You in 1967, Lady Soul in 1968, Spirit in the Dark in 1970, Young, Gifted, and Black in 1972, and Sparkle in 1976.

Following this, Aretha had issues with her record label. In 1979, the well-known singer left Atlantic Records. Following that, the singer signed with Arista Records. Aretha Franklin also appeared in The Blues Brothers. It was released in 1980. Aretha Franklin followed suit with the successful albums Jump to It in 1982, Who’s Zoomin’ Who? in 1985, and Aretha in 1986.

Beginning in 1990,

Then, in 1998, Aretha Franklin returned to the Top 40 with her song A Rose Is Still a Rose. Aretha Franklin later released an album of the same name. This album went on to be certified gold. Aretha Franklin received international acclaim for her performance of Nessun Dorma at the Grammy Awards in 1998.

Aretha Franklin filled in at the last minute for Luciano Pavarotti at this event. Luciano’s appearance was actually canceled after the show had already begun. Similarly, Aretha Franklin paid tribute to Carole King, the 2015 honoree. At the Kennedy Center Honors, she did so with (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Aretha Franklin also had 112 Billboard charted singles.

Ain’t No Way, Call Me, Freeway of Love, Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do), Don’t Play That Song (You Lied), Rock Steady, Who’s Zoomin’ Who, Spanish Harlem, Day Dreaming, Something He Can Feel, Jump to It, and I Knew You Were Waiting are among Aretha Franklin’s famous hits (For Me). Her duet with singer George Michael is titled I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).

Honors and Awards

Aretha Franklin, on the other hand, has 18 Grammy Awards. From 1968 to 1975, the first eight awards were given for “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.” Aretha Franklin has also received numerous honors throughout her career.

Aretha Franklin was awarded the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Similarly, Aretha Franklin became the first female performer to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Similarly, Aretha Franklin was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

Aretha Franklin was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2012. Similarly, in 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Aretha Franklin first on its list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” She was also ranked #9 on the magazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”

Similarly, the Pulitzer Prize jury bestowed a posthumous special citation on the singer in 2019 for her indelible contribution to American music and culture over more than five decades.She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2020.

Relationship Status of Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin was married twice and divorced. Ted White was Aretha Franklin’s first husband. They married in 1961, when Aretha was only 18 years old. However, the couple divorced in 1969 after they separated in 1968. Following this, Aretha married her second husband, actor Glynn Turman, on April 11, 1978.

Aretha became the stepmother of Glynn’s three children from a previous marriage as a result of this marriage. Aretha and Glynn divorced in 1982, after she returned to Michigan from California. In the year 1984, the couple divorced.

Similarly, Aretha Franklin was a mother of four sons. Aretha Franklin became pregnant for the first time at the age of 12 years. On January 28, 1955, she gave birth to her first child, Clarence. Aretha revealed Clarence’s father was Edward Jordan in one of her handwritten wills discovered in 2019.

Then, on August 31, 1957, Aretha gave birth to her second child with Jordan. He was given the name Edward Derone Franklin. In February 1964, Aretha gave birth to her third child. Ted White Jr. is his name, and his father was Aretha Franklin’s then-husband Theodore “Ted” White. Aretha also gave birth to her youngest son in April 1970.

His name is Kecalf Cunningham, and his father is Aretha Franklin’s road manager, Ken Cunningham. Aretha never married again after the second time. However, she had a romantic relationship with Willie Wilkerson since the late 1980s. Willie and Aretha declared their engagement in early 2012. However, the couple canceled their wedding a few weeks later.

Death of Aretha Franklin

According to reports, Aretha was gravely ill at her Riverfront Towers home in Detroit on August 13, 2018. Aretha was in hospice care at the time. During her final hours, Jesse Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Aretha Franklin’s ex-husband Glynn Turman paid her visits.

Aretha died on August 16, 2018 at the age of 76. She passed away at home at the age of 76. Her death was caused by a malignant pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor. Numerous celebrities, including former US President Barack Obama, paid tribute to her. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist and minister, also paid her tribute and referred to her as a civil rights and humanitarian icon.

Body Measurement: Height and Weight

Aretha stood 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 meters) tall. Similarly, the well-known singer had dark brown eyes and hair of the same color.

Social Media

Aretha Franklin’s Twitter account was created in January 2012, and she currently has over 138.9K followers on her @ArethaFranklin account. Similarly, the late singer’s Instagram handle is @arethafranklin, and it has over 129k followers as of May 2021.

Similarly, 2.5 million people are following Aretha Franklin’s journey on Facebook. On November 9, 2018, the singer’s YouTube channel “Aretha Franklin” was launched. This channel has received more than 161.4 million views and 312K subscribers.

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