8 of Aretha Franklin’s Most Iconic Fashion Moments

Aretha Franklin passed away at age 76 on Thursday, August 16, from advanced pancreatic cancer, her publicist Gwendolyn Quinn confirmed through a family statement.

The Queen of Soul’s passing leaves behind a void in the music industry, with the star having created a career that spanned decades and made her one of the biggest musical icons of the age.

Along with her music, Franklin was known for her singular sense of style, which ranged from ’60s mod to full-on diva glam, with the star often performing in dresses embellished with crystals, feathers and other eye-catching embellishments. Whether formfitting or flowing, every ensemble was fit for the diva who wore it.

Scroll through for some of the entertainer’s most iconic looks.

Early days

One of Franklin’s first portraits as a young artist featured the rising star posing in a sleek satin gown on a stage, a beaming smile on her face. The image was snapped around 1964 in New York City.

Grammy gold

Franklin wore an orange gown embroidered with gold detailing and a matching headscarf to the Grammy Awards in 1970, where she picked up some more hardware. Throughout her career, Franklin earned 18 of the coveted statues, including the first eight awarded for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

A queen

This embellished dress that Franklin wore during a 1971 performance is surely fit for a queen. Known as the Queen of Soul, Franklin became one of the bestselling musical artists of all time, selling over 75 million records worldwide.

Feathered

In 1968, Franklin performed in London wearing a white empire-waist dress with a fully feathered skirt with neck detailing and a matching headwrap. Franklin’s love of feathers is one that would continue throughout her career.

The diva

Franklin performed a 1972 show in this fully fabulous rhinestoned white two-piece ensemble, complete with a pink feathered jacket and floral hair accessory.

Dressing for herself

While some may not have been fans of Franklin’s getups, the diva never took their opinions into account.

When a New York Post writer wrote that “[Franklin] must know she’s too bosomy to wear such clothing,” the singer had an instantly iconic response.

“How dare you be so presumptuous as to presume you could know my attitudes with respect to anything other than music,” she said. “You are hardly in a position to determine what separates stars from divas since you are neither one nor an authority on either.”

The below photos sees the star attend the American Music Awards in 1983.

Bold and bright

Franklin wasn’t afraid of color, donning gowns of vibrant pink, orange and more throughout her career. Here, she wears an embellished turquoise dress topped with a canary yellow coat during a concert in 1990 in New York City.

Beautiful in blue

The star combined her love of color, feathers and wraps in this bright turquoise ensemble, which she wore for a concert at New York’s famed Apollo Theater in 2006, her first at the venue in 20 years at the time.

Photo Credit: Getty / Jeffrey Mayer