DETROIT: Aretha Franklin, the music icon, legendary singer and “Queen of Soul” loved by millions whose history-making career spanned six decades, died at her Detroit home on Thursday. She was 76.

A NATURAL WOMAN Flowers and tributes are placed on the star for Aretha Franklin  on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, August 16, 2018, after the music icon, legendary singer and ‘Queen of Soul’ loved by millions whose history-making career spanned six decades, died on Thursday, August 16, 2018, her longtime publicist announced. AFP PHOTO

She influenced generations of female singers with unforgettable hits including “Respect” (1967), “Natural Woman” (1968) and “I Say a Little Prayer” (1968).

The multiple Grammy winner cemented her place in US music history with a powerful, bell-clear voice that stretched over four octaves.

In a career crossing generations, her hits spanned from soul and R&B, to gospel and pop.

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After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, Franklin passed away at 9:50 am (1350 GMT) surrounded by her family and loved ones, her family said in a statement issued by her publicist.

“It is with deep and profound sadness that we announce the passing of Aretha Louise Franklin, the Queen of Soul,” the statement said.

“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.”

The family thanked fans around the world for their “incredible outpouring of love” since it first emerged earlier this week that she was gravely ill.

Fans mourning the death of Franklin left balloons, flowers and mementos at Detroit’s New Bethel Baptist Church, where as a child the star kicked off her storied career singing gospel.

Reverend Charles Turner described her passing as a “Great loss – can’t nobody replace her,” adding that the grief felt by mourners was akin to the loss of a parent.

And in California similar tributes quickly amassed on Franklin’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 18-time Grammy award winner inspired multiple singers during her five-decade career, from pop diva Mariah Carey and the late Whitney Houston, to Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige and the late Amy Winehouse.

In 1987, she became the first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine put her at the top of its list of the 100 greatest singers of all time, male or female.

In the same year, she suffered serious health problems, but continued to perform until late last year, singing last in November 2017 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in New York. That same year, Detroit named a street after her.

In 2005, Franklin was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest award for an American civilian — by then-president George W. Bush.

Franklin — who was widely known by only her first name, in true diva style — rose from singing gospel in her father’s church to regularly topping rhythm and blues and pop charts in the 1960s and 1970s.

She performed at the inaugurations of presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, singing “My Country ‘Tis of

Thee” at the investiture of the country’s first African-American head of state.

In a heartfelt tribute from the Obamas, the former president and his wife Michelle praised Franklin’s “unmatched musicianship,” which they said “helped define the American experience.”

US President Donald Trump called the singer “terrific,” saying she “brought joy to millions of lives and her extraordinary legacy will thrive and inspire many generations to come.”