The Tigers, Lions, Pistons are Red Wings are joining the world in honoring the Queen of Soul.
DETROIT – Detroit sports teams are joining the world to tribute Aretha Franklin.
The Queen of Soul died at the age of 76 in Detroit on Thursday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Widely considered one of the greatest musicians of all time, the icon was raised in Detroit and has lived in the Motor City for decades.
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, dead at 76
Among those honoring Franklin are the Tigers, who shared a photo of the Comerica Park scoreboard featuring a photo of the musician with the words R-E-S-P-E-C-T and « Forever Our Queen » on it. Detroit opens a 3-game series in Minnesota this evening.
Little Caesars Arena sent out the same photo on its Twitter account and the Lions posted a Tweet as well with the following message:
« Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Aretha Franklin. Aretha was a groundbreaker and an icon whose legacy will live on forever. »
Franklin famously sang a five-minute rendition of the national anthem for the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings Thanksgiving game in 2016.
Aretha Franklin’s lengthy anthem performance steals nation’s attention
The Pistons also highlighted Franklin’s national anthem performance before Game 5 of the 2004 NBA Finals with the message « R-E-S-P-E-C-T. »
Franklin won 18 Grammy Awards, the third most ever by a woman.
She had 20 No. 1 R & B hits including « Respect, » « Chain of Fools, » « Think, » and « Freeway of Love. » Franklin is also one of the top selling music artists of all-time having sold more than 75 million albums.
In 1987, the Queen of Soul became the first women inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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