DETROIT — In the early hours of the morning, Aretha Franklin passed away in her Detroit home. In response, Rep. Leslie Love (D-Detroit) issued the following statement:
“The world lost one of its most loving angels today. The incomparable, preeminent Queen of Soul, Ms. Aretha Franklin, was not only an extraordinary talent, but she was a generous, fun-loving soul-food cooking queen. I fondly remember visiting her home during the holidays when I was a grad student working on the play ‘Black Nativity’ with the Arts League of Michigan and Plowshares Theatre Company. I was in the presence of the Queen of Soul, yet she was completely down to earth. She was like that favorite auntie; just full of love, light and life. And while her physical being has departed, Ms. Franklin has left us with a legacy of love that will be respected and remembered forever.”