Text by: Olivia McAuley
The world of music says goodbye, and a little prayer, to a great today with the loss of legendary singer Aretha Franklin. The multi Grammy award winning musician and 2005 recipient of the presidential medal of freedom, leaves behind a profound legacy as one of the giants in soul music, and an icon of strength for people everywhere.
The Obamas in their statement released this morning, summed it up better than anyone: “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. She helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance.”
Rest in power Aretha.