Aretha Franklin Made History as First Woman Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

While reminiscing on the life of Aretha Franklin, it has re-emerged that she made history as the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

As Fox News reports, Franklin was made a member of the group in 1987, which was after the musical icon had racked up 20 number one singles.

“I don’t think there’s anybody I have known who possesses an instrument like hers and who has such a thorough background in gospel, the blues and the essential black-music idiom,” co-founder of Atlantic Records Ahmet Ertegun said of Franklin, as recorded on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website.

“She is blessed with an extraordinary combination of remarkable urban sophistication and deep blues feeling…The result is maybe the greatest singer of our time,” he added.

Some of Franklin’s other notable accolades include 44 Grammy nominations with 18 wins, becoming the youngest ever recipient of Kennedy Center Honors at the age of 52, and being award both the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

In the wake of her passing, many of Franklin’s celebrity friends and fans have taken to social media to pay tribute to the fallen “Queen of Soul.”

“I can never forget the first time I heard the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin singing ‘Say a Little Prayer’, I thought it was the greatest record I ever heard at that stage in my life,” tweeted singer Billy Ocean. “She will be the greatest singing Angel in heaven! May her soul and spirit rest in peace.”

“Everyone loves [Aretha Franklin] she is the powerhouse voice of my life. No one can touch her passion and soul,” said legendary guitar player Peter Frampton. “We have used ‘Rock Steady’ as the track we hear [before] we go on stage for years. Her greatness as singer/piano player inspire me to reach for the unattainable.”

Franklin passed away this week after being hospitalized for a couple days and spending a couple days in hospice care. She was 76 years old.