Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, passed away on Thursday after suffering a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Aretha died in her home in Detroit surrounded by friends and family. “In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family,” her family said in a statement.

Since her passing, the Queen has taken over the number 1 spot on the iTunes sales charts with her song ‘Respect’ and the number 1 album with ’30 Greatest Hits’.

Aretha has 3 more tracks in the Top 40, for a total of 7 — “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” is No. 2; “I Say A Little Prayer” is No. 4; “Chain of Fools” is No. 9; “Think” is No. 14; “Until You Come Back to Me” is No. 24; “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)” is No. 36. (TMZ)

And just to throw it back to a super iconic moment in #blackgirlmagic history, check out this clip we pulled from the archives of Aretha, Gladys Knight, and Patti Labelle offering Oprah some advice on her 40th birthday.

Much love to Aretha and her family. Rest in peace, Queen!

source – TMZ