NEW YORK — A never-before-heard solo version of the late Aretha Franklin’s riveting and powerful collaboration with Mary J. Blige about faith and race, 2006’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” has arrived on Juneteenth. Sony’s RCA Records, RCA Inspiration and Legacy Recordings released the song Friday, aligning with the holiday celebrating the day in 1865 that...
A Journey Through 2018’s Top Pop Culture Moments
And the top pop culture moments of 2018 are ... Wait. WAS there any pop culture this year? Of course there was, but you could be forgiven for forgetting, because more than ever it was politics, politics, and more politics occupying the zeitgeist and sucking the proverbial air out of...
Mick Jagger on New Stones Tour, Aretha, Acting and Grammys
NEW YORK — Mick Jagger likes a buzz. A natural buzz. The Rolling Stones frontman, who will tour America next spring with his iconic band, says live shows give him a rush that can't be matched and is the reason that at 75, he still loves touring. "When you go...
Aretha Franklin's Family Says Eulogy Was Offensive
NEW YORK — The late Aretha Franklin's family said Monday that it found an Atlanta pastor's eulogy delivered at the Queen of Soul's funeral last week to be offensive and distasteful. The eulogist, the Rev. Jasper Williams Jr., was criticized for a political address that described children being in a...
AP Essay: Aretha Franklin, John McCain and the 1960s
"Hope I die before I get old," the Who sang at Woodstock as the 1960s hurtled to their end. Indeed, the decade and its echoes made premature legends of so many — Kennedy to King, Hendrix to Joplin to Morrison. They became emblems of an era, and the packaging of...
Public Viewing Includes Costume Change by the Queen of Soul
DETROIT — Mourners streamed in for a second day Wednesday to pay their respects to Aretha Franklin, who was dressed in a different outfit for her final public viewing — as if making a costume change during a show. Fans waited festively outside, then walked in a solemn, single-file line...
Madonna's Rambling Aretha Franklin Tribute Earns Backlash
NEW YORK — The backlash was swift for Madonna's rambling, egocentric tribute to Aretha Franklin at the MTV Video Music Awards, with media and Queen-of-Soul fans wondering why she got the gig in the first place. Dressed in flowing black with grandiose flourishes of African jewelry, Madonna's send-off came before...
In Franklin’s Anthems, Women Heard an Empowering Message
NEW YORK — Aretha Franklin never saw herself as a feminist heroine. That, she quipped, was Gloria Steinem's role. But she leaves a legacy of indelible anthems that resonated deeply with women by celebrating their strength and individuality — and demanding, well, just a little respect. "I don't think I...
Cancer Claims Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul, at 76
NEW YORK — Aretha Franklin, the undisputed "Queen of Soul" who sang with matchless style on such classics as "Think," ''I Say a Little Prayer" and her signature song, "Respect," and stood as a cultural icon around the globe, has died at age 76 from pancreatic cancer. Publicist Gwendolyn Quinn...
What's Your Favorite Aretha Song? A Look at Her Chart Busters.
UPDATE: Publicist Gwendolyn Quinn tells The Associated Press through a family statement that Franklin died Thursday, Aug. 16, at 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit. The statement said "Franklin's official cause of death was due to advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin's oncologist, Dr....