The legendary soul singer, pianist, and performer Aretha Franklin died on Thursday, surrounded by family and friends, at the age of 76. The Queen of Soul will be remembered for countless songs and performances throughout her life, and is eloquently memorialized here by our own Spencer Kornhaber. Below, a collection of images of Franklin’s amazing career, spanning the past five decades.
Photos: The Queen of Soul's Amazing Career
1. Aretha Franklin performs during the Soul Together Concert at Madison Square Garden on June 28, 1968, in New York City.
Walter Iooss. Jr. / Getty
2. Aretha Franklin opens at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on June 13, 1969.
Las Vegas News Bureau / Reuters
3. American soul singer Aretha Franklin, a star on the Atlantic record label, photographed in 1968.
Express Newspapers / Getty
4. Aretha Franklin at a news conference on March 26, 1973.
Associated Press
5. In this photo taken on April 8, 1975, Aretha Franklin performs during the 47th Annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
Associated Press
6. The singer, songwriter, pianist, and actress Aretha Franklin, surrounded by the actors John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, on the set of The Blues Brothers, in 1979.
Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty
7. James Brown and Aretha Franklin sing during a HBO taping at the Taboo night club in Detroit on January 11, 1987.
Joe Kennedy / AP
8. Aretha Franklin performs in a recording studio with Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics in 1985.
Lynn Goldsmith / Corbis / VCG via Getty
9. Aretha Franklin in performance in March 1990
The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty
10. Aretha Franklin preforms at the Lincoln Memorial for President Bill Clinton's inaugural gala in Washington, D.C., on January 17, 1993.
Mark Reinstein / MediaPunch / IPx / AP
11. President George W. Bush awards Aretha Franklin the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award in the East Room of the White House on November 9, 2005.
Lawrence Jackson / AP
12. Aretha Franklin and the Australian actor Hugh Jackman sing "Somewhere" from the classic musical West Side Story during the American Theatre Wing's 59th Annual Tony Awards show at Radio City Music Hall in New York on June 5, 2005.
Jeff Christensen / Reuters
13. Aretha Franklin performs at the House of Blues on November 21, 2008, in Los Angeles.
Shea Walsh / AP
14. Aretha Franklin sings during the inauguration ceremony for President-elect Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2009.
Jason Reed / Reuters
15. Franklin in performance at the Candie's Foundation's 10th-anniversary "Event to Prevent" benefit in New York on May 3, 2011.
Eric Thayer / Reuters
16. Aretha Franklin onstage at the 10th Annual TV Land Awards at the Lexington Avenue Armory on April 14, 2012, in New York City.
Andrew H. Walker / Getty
17. Aretha Franklin performs at the Festival of Families as Pope Francis looks on, September 26, 2015, in Philadelphia
Carl Court / Getty
18. Detroit native Aretha Franklin sings the national anthem prior to the start of the Detroit Lions–Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field on November 24, 2016.
Gregory Shamus / Getty
19. Aretha Franklin sings during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival Opening Gala premiere of Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives at Radio City Music Hall on April 19, 2017.
Taylor Hill / Getty
20. Aretha Franklin is joined by family and friends during her street naming on June 8, 2017, in Detroit.
Monica Morgan / Getty
21. Aretha Franklin performs onstage at the Elton John AIDS Foundation Gala at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on November 7, 2017, in New York City.
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty
22. Singer Aretha Franklin takes a bow at the Elton John AIDS Foundation Gala at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on November 7, 2017, in New York City.
Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty