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Clive Davis, Lenny Kravitz, Hillary Clinton Among Stars Remembering Aretha Franklin

Hollywood stars and public figures took to social media on Thursday to celebrate the life of Aretha Franklin.

Hollywood stars and public figures on Thursday took to social media to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin. The iconic singer, known as the Queen of Soul, died Thursday morning at her home in Detroit following a battle with advanced pancreatic cancer. She was 76.

The accomplished singer was awarded 20 Grammys throughout her career, including the lifetime achievement award. She also was the first woman to be enshrined into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Franklin sold over 75 million records worldwide during a career that spanned four decades.

“I’m absolutely devastated by Aretha’s passing. She was truly one of a kind. She was more than the Queen of Soul. She was a national treasure to be cherished by every generation throughout the world,” Clive Davis said in a statement. “Apart from our long professional relationship, Aretha was my friend. Her loss is deeply profound and my heart is full of sadness.”

Music Business Association president James Donio said in a statement that he recalled “the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in the audience at the 1998 Grammy Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York when Aretha surprised everyone when she came onstage in place of Luciano Pavarotti, who had taken ill and could not perform. Aretha then proceeded to completely take the audience’s collective breath away as she majestically delivered her own unique rendition of ‘Nessun Dorma.’ People are still talking about that moment 20 years later.”

“We remember Aretha for the joy and love she brought into our lives and society via her powerful voice,” said NAACP chairman Leon W. Russell in a statement. “No one can discuss the civil rights movement nor music without paying respect to the Queen of Soul. We’ll miss her dearly.” Added NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson, “What would our struggle or American society be without the music of Aretha? Her unmitigated ‘Blackness’ and contributions to art and national progress places her on the Mt. Everest of American icons who changed this society for the better.”

“America has no royalty. But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring,” said Barack and Michelle Obama in a statement. “Every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine. 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 to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just 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,” the statement continued. “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 songs.”

“I’m heartbroken. Aretha Franklin was more than the Queen of Soul; she was my dear friend and a treasure to this world. Her voice was an inspiration to many. In fact, I remember Aretha singing and bringing President Obama to tears,” Judge Greg Mathis wrote on Twitter. “It was a privilege to know and have worked with Aretha many times giving back to Detroit, the city that we both loved dearly. She left me with many memories that I will cherish forever. The world loved her. I loved her. Her music and her legacy will live forever. Rest well my friend. Rest well.”

Andy Cohen praised Franklin’s talent and lasting legacy on Twitter. “There will never be another Queen of Soul. Aretha Franklin is the embodiment of a soul blessed with a special gift,” he wrote. “Grateful we have decades of recordings that will live on. Long Live The Queen.”

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Liam Gallagher also paid tribute to Franklin on Twitter, writing, “RIP Aretha Franklin what a voice x.”

Hugh Jackman mourned Franklin’s death by reminiscing about “one of the highlights of my career” in which he performed with the singer at the Tony Awards. “It was an out-of-body experience for me. One of greatest singers of all time. You will be missed by all,” he wrote on Twitter. Lea Thompson shared a similar memory of performing in the musical Cabaret with Franklin. “She was so gracious and kind. It was a highlight of my life,” she wrote.

The OWN Network announced Thursday that Franklin’s interview with Oprah Winfrey from 1999 will be re-aired on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. During the interview, Franklin and Winfrey discuss the Queen of Soul’s career and personal life. The singer also performed a medley of “Think,” “Respect” and “Miss Clawdy Medley,” as well as “We Need Power.”

See what else Hollywood stars and other public figures are saying about Franklin’s death below.

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