Aretha Franklin at a news conference, March 26, 1973. (AP Photo)

1. She Has More Awards Than You Can Count.

Franklin is one of the most decorated artists in music history. She has won 18 Grammy Awards (received 44 nominations), three American Music Awards and three NAACP Image Awards. She had also been nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award, a Golden Globe and two MTV Video Music Awards.

But that’s not all: Franklin has also been honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, received a National Medal of Arts and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 from President George W. Bush.

2. She Performed at the Inaugurations of Three Presidents.

Franklin performed "God Bless America" at Jimmy Carter's night-before-the-inauguration celebration at the Kennedy Center in 1977. Sixteen years later, Franklin headlined a two-hour concert during Bill Clinton's inauguration festivities. And in 2009, she sang “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at Barack Obama's inauguration.

3. She Was the First Woman Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1987, Franklin became the first female to join the ranks of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and Little Richard as an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While she was not in attendance at the ceremony, her brother accepted the award on her behalf. "This is the greatest night of them all because Aretha has been written into history," he said.

4. She Taught Herself Piano Without Knowing How to Read Music.

Aretha was a self-taught pianist, who learned without knowing how to read music. Franklin's mother was a singer and pianist, so it should come as no surprise that tickling the ivories came naturally to Franklin. "I play by ear” she said.

5. She has a major fear of flying.

The legendary singer was not a fan of airplanes. After an in-flight turbulence during one of her flights in 1982, she decided she'd stop flying altogether. "I go wherever I choose to go comfortably on my custom bus", she said multiple times.

Sources: https://www.biography.com
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