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BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Legendary soul singer Aretha Franklin has died at 76 in her Detroit home after a long-time battle with pancreatic cancer, the Associated Press reports.
The "Queen of Soul" won 18 Grammy awards, and became the first woman inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. She will be remembered for hit songs like "Think," "I Say A Little Prayer," and "Respect."
"First woman in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She never was in a group, she always performed solo. She took care of her own career--she didn't have any svengali manager," music critic Dean Johnson told WBZ NewsRadio 1030. "And the music. It's almost difficult to know where to begin. [Her 1968 album] 'Lady Soul' might be a good place."
New 97.7 jock KJ Carson spoke to WBZ NewsRadio 1030 about Franklin's legacy.
"You know, it's tough, because there are very few people when you say 'unmatched'--to be able to have hits in the mid-60s, and then to have a Top 40 hit in the late 90s, 2000s, it showed how relevant she was, even in each decade as you go," he said. "Many people may or may not know Aretha almost stepped away from performing after her father had been shot, and then when she came back in the 80s, people were like, 'woah'."
"You can almost say, who didn't she influence?" he said. "You don't become the Queen of Soul without inspiring others to try and be who you are. As she got into the 70s, Aretha had so much cache that she could work with virtually anybody who she wanted to."
The news follows reports from earlier this week that Franklin was "gravely ill" and receiving hospice care while surrounded by her family. Franklin was diagnosed with cancer in 2010.
LISTEN: New 97.7's KJ Carson talks about Aretha Franklin's legacy