Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) Goodbye, the Queen of Soul

Singer Aretha Franklin's picture from the 102nd White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, DC, on April 30, 2016. Pic/ AFP

Aretha Franklin died at 9:50 am at home, surrounded by family and friends, according to a statement on behalf of Franklin's family from her longtime publicist Gwendolyn Quinn. The family statement said, "official cause of death was due to advance pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type." Franklin, a 17-time Grammy Award-winner, was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, and delivered her last performance at the Elton John AIDS Foundation party in New York, last November.

"In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds," said Franklin's family.

"We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers. We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time." Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days claimed reports.

The singer was reported to be in failing health for years and appeared frail in recent photos. In February 2017, Franklin announced she would stop touring. Earlier this year, she cancelled performances on doctors' orders.

Franklin released her first album, Songs Of Faith, in 1956. As the first woman admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she had @ @ Billboard chart hits during the rock era, the top among female vocalists, was at the peak of her career from 1967 to 1975.