▲In 1980, Franklin shone during her Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth in London, England.

▲The moniker actually originated in the early '60s, before Franklin would go on to achieve greater success than anyone could have imagined.

▲The televised concert also featured Mariah Carey, Céline Dion, Gloria Estefan, Carole King, and Shania Twain at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.

▲Atlantic Records signed Franklin in 1967 and gave her the breakthrough she needed, with hit songs like…

▲And who knew one of her greatest moments would be performing for Pope Francis in 2015, 55 years after taking that first leap into her career?

▲Franklin won her first two Grammy Awards in 1968—Best R&B Recording, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance—which she would continue to dominate for eight consecutive years.

▲Franklin's version of the song exceeded the success of all other covers, making it to second-place on the pop singles chart and topping the R&B chart.

▲Franklin cemented herself as a feminist icon with her seventh top 10 hit in two years—a soulful, didactic song that attracted an audience of forward-thinking liberals.

▲That same year, soon after wowing the world with her operatic skills, Franklin released a new album, ending a seven-year drought. The title song was written by Lauryn Hill!

▲In combination with the incredible power of her voice, she had a vast musical intelligence that allowed her to artfully sing behind the beat and stretch a single syllable into a swath of notes.

▲This piano-led blues track was the defining song that became Franklin's first real hit of her career.

▲At the 1998 Grammys, the singer called in sick with less than an hour's notice. Franklin saved the show by replacing his performance with her gorgeous rendition of the opera aria 'Nessun dorma.'

▲In 2012, around the time she was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Franklin was often described as a symbol of black equality, as well as the voice of both black America and the civil rights movement.

▲In 1993, Franklin sang alongside Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Diana Ross in a truly monumental music history moment.

▲The incredible artist sold over 75 million records worldwide. But before she became a household name, where did it all begin?

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Franklin passed away at the age of 76, a victim to pancreatic cancer.

Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one we lost in 2018.

▲Franklin received honorary degrees and doctorates in music from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Berklee College of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, University of Michigan, and more.

▲Almost 50 years after her career began, Franklin flawlessly performed 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at the 2016 Super Bowl XL.

▲She recorded a total of 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top 10 pop singles, 100 R&B entries, and 20 number one R&B singles.

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Franklin paired up with the iconic '80s pop singer and proved that she could still keep up with the times. The Grammy Award-winning number one song would also become her biggest hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

▲The 1985 'Who’s Zoomin’ Who?' album was her first record to go platinum.

▲Her Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award of 1994 is a nice addition to her collection of 18 Grammy awards, three special recognition prizes, and a Golden Globe.

▲The same year her father died, the singer received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

▲This R&B classic was originally written by Otis Redding as a man's plea for respect from a woman. Franklin reversed it and consequently pioneered one of the first and greatest musical moments of female empowerment.

▲Signing to Columbia Records in 1960, when she was just 18, wasn't a mistake, but the label never brought her real commercial success.

▲Franklin received the highest civilian honor in 2005, marking one of her greatest patriotic moments.

▲The rest of the '70s saw a decrease in hits, and in 1979 Franklin’s father was tragically shot (he remained in a coma for five years and died in 1984). But when Clive Davis signed her to Arista Records, things took an upward turn for the singer.

▲First at his inauguration, and again in 2015 at the Kennedy Center Honors. Obama praised Franklin for embodying the African-American connection to blues, R&B, and rock and roll, adding that her music is an example of the transformation of hardship and sorrow into beauty and hope.

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Franklin made history as the first female inductee in 1987, and she was also the second woman ever inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

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Franklin recorded this tender ode to a lover at the request of famous songwriter Carole King, and it has since been often imitated but never duplicated.

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One of the greatest singers of all time passed away of pancreatic cancer on August 16, 2018. But, of course, the Queen of Soul's legacy would live on. For instance, fans have recently enjoyed a biopic on her life, 'Respect' (2021), starring Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, as well as the anthology series 'Genius: Aretha,' starring Cynthia Erivo, who was Emmy nominated for her take on the Queen.

For more on her legacy, check out this gallery to see some of Aretha Franklin's greatest moments.