Aretha Franklin, known as the "Queen of Soul" and one of the best-selling female recording artists of all time, died in Detroit at the age of 76 from pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. During her career, she had 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard R&B chart, 45 Billboard Top 40 hits and won 18 Grammy Awards.
Following her death on August 16, “Respect” re-entered the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at No. 21 and reached No. 1 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart. It occupied 16 of the 25 positions on the digital chart, while the 1968 album “Aretha Now” returned to the Billboard 200 at No. 6.
Aretha Franklin told Billboard.com that there was a possibility her life story could appear on Broadway. She said she would like to see a dramatic musical and felt the timing was right, especially following the success of “Jersey Boys”. The Broadway project ultimately did not happen.
Aretha Franklin made her first appearance on the television program “American Bandstand” on August 2, 1962, performing “Don't Cry Baby” and “Try a Little Tenderness.”