The Gist

Goodbye to the Queen of Soul

Aretha Franklin’s talents went well beyond her golden voice.

Aretha Franklin performs at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2008, in Los Angeles.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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Aretha Franklin has died at 76, and she was much more than a golden voice. Slate’s Chris Molanphy recalls her talents at the piano and in the composition room, where she wrote timeless music and, with her covers, transformed songs from her own genre and beyond. (See “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Let It Be,” and, of course, “Respect.”) Molanphy is the host of the Slate podcast Hit Parade.

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