Mustafa Suleyman
$500 million
Aretha Louise Franklin (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist universally celebrated as the “Queen of Soul.” Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Franklin’s voice made her one of the most influential musicians in the history of recorded sound. She passed away on August 16, 2018, at her home in Detroit, at the age of 76, from pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. Her estate is estimated at $80 million.
Franklin began her career as a child gospel singer before moving to Atlantic Records in 1967. Her iconic “Respect” became an anthem of both the civil rights movement and second-wave feminism. Over her career she recorded 112 charted singles and 100 R&B chart entries, with 20 number-one R&B singles. She earned 18 Grammy Awards and was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 and performed at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009.
Aretha Franklin was born the fourth child of Reverend C.L. Franklin and gospel singer Barbara Siggers Franklin. She had four sons: Clarence, Edward, Ted White Jr., and Kecalf Cunningham. She was deeply private, well known for her warmth, generosity, and fierce commitment to civil rights.
Rolling Stone ranked Aretha Franklin number one on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2019, she was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation — the first individual woman to receive this honor. Her recording of “Respect” was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.