Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin has died at the age of 76. The singer is pictured on the red carpet before the 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors Dec. 6, 2015 in Washington, DC. Molly Riley/AFP/Getty Images

Aretha Franklin died on Thursday morning following a long battle with advanced pancreatic cancer. The voice behind timeless classics like “Respect,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” passed away in her Detroit, Michigan home surrounded by loved ones.

Franklin’s health has been deteriorating over the past few months and the music legend reportedly dropped down to 86 pounds, according to TMZ.

The singer, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1942, moved to Detroit, where she gained recognition while singing in her father’s church. By 1967, she signed a deal with Atlantic Records and quickly gained fame thanks to her powerful vocals.

Throughout her lengthy career, Franklin won 18 Grammys and became the first woman to ever be inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. She was 76 years old at the time of her death.

In honor of the Queen of Soul, take a look back at some of her most inspirational quotes throughout her successful music career.

  • “Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It's uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.”
  • “You cannot define a person on just one thing. You can’t just forget all these wonderful and good things that a person has done because one thing didn’t come off the way you thought it should come off.”
  • “People really don’t have to give you anything, so appreciate what people give you. And just don't let that go to your head, whatever it is they give you.”
  • “Falling out of love is like losing weight. It’s a lot easier putting it on than taking it off.”
  • “Trying to grow up is hurting. You make mistakes. You try to learn from them, and when you don’t, it hurts even more.”
  • “As a parent, you try to maintain a certain amount of control and so you have this tug-of-war ... You have to learn when to let go. And that’s not easy.”
  • “Women absolutely deserve respect.”
  • “We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right.”
  • “Being the Queen is not all about singing, and being a diva is not all about singing. It has much to do with your service to people. And your social contributions to your community and your civic contributions as well.”
  • “Everybody wants respect. In their own way, three-year-olds would like respect, and acknowledgment, in their terms.”
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