Aretha Franklin: Inside Her Walmart Workouts

When most people think of Aretha Franklin, her hits like "Respect," "Think" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" come to mind. But for some Walmart and K-Mart shoppers in her hometown of Detroit, she was just another mall walker.

"I have a walking regimen," she said on Live with Kelly & Michael in 2014. "I walk superstores. The biggest ones, Walmart, K-Mart, Meijer."

She said that she "sometimes" gets stopped by unsuspecting fans who recognize her, but "I really don't like to break my stride when I'm walking. So I change aisles."

But for the most part, she goes undetected. "They're shopping and they just probably don't even expect to see me in there."

She told Detroit station WDIV-TV that same summer, when she was 72, that she was determined to never be "grossly overweight" again, adding that she was in much better shape than previous parts of her life.

"The weight that I am at now, I said, 'I am going to own this weight,'" she said. "I will never, ever be the size that I was again."

"I walk the whole store, sometimes twice. It depends on how much I need to walk that day. If I need to really walk, I might walk it twice," she said.

She told The New York Post that she hits the superstores "about three times a week, at least a mile or so."

But it wasn't all sweat, all the time. The Queen of Soul divulged that she still allowed herself to splurge from time to time, as well. During a drive from Detroit to New York City, she told Kelly Ripa and guest host Anderson Cooper that she loves to make pit stops at Cracker Barrel.

"It's about the chicken and dumplings," she said. "The dressing is wonderful."

Franklin died in her Detroit home Thursday surrounded by her family. Her publicist said the cause of death was advanced pancreatic cancer. She was 76.

Tributes to the 18-time Grammy winner and first-ever woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame flooded social media Thursday. Music industry breadwinners like Elton John, Carole King, Barbra Streisand, John Legend, Paul McCartney, Lionel Richie and many more paid their respects to Franklin. In a heartfelt social media post, Elton John remembered Franklin's final public performance, which happened to be at his AIDS Foundation gala last November.

"The loss of Aretha Franklin is a blow for everybody who loves real music: Music from the heart, the soul and the Church. Her voice was unique, her piano playing underrated – she was one of my favourite pianists," John said, in part.

"I was fortunate enough to spend time with her and witness her last performance – a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation at St John The Divine Cathedral," he added. "She was obviously unwell, and I wasn't sure she could perform. But Aretha did and she raised the roof. She sang and played magnificently, and we all wept. We were witnessing the greatest soul artist of all time."

Franklin's family thanked Franklin's friends and fans for their support and love for her and her family, saying they were "deeply touched."

"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," the family said in a statement to the Associated Press.

"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," the statement continued. "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."