As a student of music and a lifelong fan I can only give my deepest sympathies for arguably greatest voice I've ever heard. A voice that could bear pain and strife and get deep into your soul without even meaning to and take you to places that you never wanted to go...and she'd relish in the fact that her fans went there and could relate.
The greatest part about it all was that she stayed classy and dignified while doing so. Never any scandals, never any intentional disrespect to any of her peers(there were few peers), and just always a classy person. Her shady moments, albeit rare, were pure gold.
The world and all of music mourns her passing, especially those of us who went to her music at especially tough times in life...because we knew that she'd probably been thru it and had most likely sang about it enough to have cried many rivers.
It's gna feel weird knowing that she's not coming out with more music because she's such a staple in life, my life, that every few years I could expect a release of some sort.
I discovered her when I was just a budding car enthusiast and heard the lyrics "city traffic's moving way too slow, drop the pedal and GO!" on the radio as a wee lad on a road trip with my Mother on one of our many interstate trips and I remember telling my Mom in her Turbo Buick Grand National Regal to "go faster, the lady in the song says go fast!" Lol. Mom then explained to me what the 'Turbo' and 'Overboost' gauges were (NC to Delaware, to MA, to PA, and back home).
Only a legend could do two legendary performance in the same night on different shows. She did Letterman with her new HIT single 'A Rose is still a Rose...
And in the same night fill in for the also legendary Pavarotti with 'Nessun Dorma' in moments notice and bring down the HOUSE!
Truly a legend who's talent will be missed the world OVER. RIP Miss. Franklin