Celebrities Are Writing Touching Tributes to Aretha Franklin on Social Media
On Thursday morning Aretha Franklin‘s publicist confirmed that she passed away in her Detroit home at the age of 76. “Franklin’s official cause of death was due to advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin’s oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute,” reads a statement from her family, according to the Associated Press. “In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds.”
The Franklin family’s statement continued, “We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters, and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers. We have felt your love for Aretha, and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.”
Immediately after the news broke, countless celebrities took to social media to pay their respects to the singer and 18-time Grammy winner. Among these mourning fans are plenty of Franklin’s fellow musicians, from a wide variety of genres: John Legend, Barbra Streisand, Ricky Martin, and several others. Along with messages encouraging Franklin to “rest in power,” many of these musicians and other celebrities shared links to her most popular songs, as well as memories of meeting Franklin in person or seeing her perform. “I’m sitting in prayer for the wonderful golden spirit Aretha Franklin,” Diana Ross wrote, while Streisand posted a photo of herself and Franklin in 2012, captioned, “It’s difficult to conceive of a world without her. Not only was she a uniquely brilliant singer, but her commitment to civil rights made an indelible impact on the world.”
Below, read more tributes to the Queen of Soul:
https://twitter.com/BarbraStreisand/status/1030096939109556229
https://twitter.com/IAMANITABAKER/status/1030100072128827393
https://twitter.com/chancetherapper/status/1030101065713233920
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1030101543067037696
https://twitter.com/PaulMcCartney/status/1030103284881805312
https://twitter.com/ringostarrmusic/status/1030104865555410945
https://twitter.com/SterlingKBrown/status/1030098767725309953
https://twitter.com/RealHughJackman/status/1030098224156209153
https://twitter.com/ElizabethBanks/status/1030104591176749056
https://twitter.com/antoniobanderas/status/1030103682057207808
https://twitter.com/lzhernandez02/status/1030099902402056192
https://twitter.com/liamgallagher/status/1030094148207030274
https://twitter.com/LittleMissFlint/status/1030093099509395459
https://twitter.com/r0bbier0berts0n/status/1030093756484149248
https://twitter.com/RepTerriSewell/status/1030099702417633280
https://twitter.com/RealSirTomJones/status/1030099213768642560