Aretha Franklin: Reaction to Queen of Soul's death at 76 - BBC News
Tributes have been pouring in from the music world and beyond after the "Queen of Soul" died aged 76.
Michelle and Barack Obama paid tribute to Aretha Franklin in a statement released on Thursday.

She performed at his 2009 inauguration ceremony, and famously reduced the president to tears singing (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman in 2015.

"America has no royalty. But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring. Born in Memphis and raised in Detroit, Aretha Franklin grew up performing gospel songs in her father's congregation. For more than six decades since, every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine," the statement says.

"Through her compositions and unmatched musicianship, Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade - our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect.

"She helped us feel more connected with each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us forget about everything else and dance.

"Aretha may have passed on to a better place, but the gift of her music remains to inspire us all. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace. Michelle and I send our prayers and warmest sympathies to her family and all those moved by her song."