Remembering Aretha Franklin

The 32 artists and speakers scheduled to attend Aretha Franklin's funeral all have a personal connection to the Queen of Soul, whether friend, acquaintance or protégé.

Noel King talks to Dyson, a professor at Georgetown University, about the legacy of Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul died August 16 at the age of 76.

Aretha Franklin passed away on Thursday morning. David Ritz wrote her 2014 biography and he talks to NPR's Noel King about the singer's legacy.

Aretha Franklin died of pancreatic cancer Thursday. Her hits, from the 1960s to the 1980s, helped define the era. NPR's Noel King talks to NPR music critic Ann Powers about the singer's legacy.

Staff members of NPR remember the Queen of Soul beyond her No. 1 hits. These are Aretha Franklin's most essential deep cuts.

It's clear why Franklin was the undisputed Queen of Soul. Enjoy a playlist of the singer's biggest hits in a career that spanned decades and defied genre rules.

The Queen of Soul rarely gave interviews, so we were delighted when she sat down with Terry Gross in 1999. Franklin died Thursday at age 76.

Her music has been sung at marches and political rallies, heard in churches and on chain restaurant jukeboxes. Everything popular music can be is there in the songs of Aretha Franklin.