This person died 2018, age 76. She had a child two months before her 13th birthday. She started teaching herself to play the piano before she was 10, picking up songs from the radio.In 1969, she dropped her husband as manager and eventually filed restraining orders against him. She also went through a period of heavy drinking before getting sober in the 1970s. Rolling Stone magazine put her at the top of its 2010 greatest singers of all time. Her music defined a modern female archetype: sensual and strong, long-suffering but ultimately indomitable, loving but not to be taken for granted. Today’s dead celebrity is Aretha Franklin.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like Episode 90 Big Adventurer (Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee Herman) and Episode 31 The Greatest (Muhammad Ali)

Famous & Gravy is created and co-hosted by Amit Kapoor and Michael Osborne. This episode was produced by Allie Arrazola, and features guest co-host Matt Anderson.

LINKS:

Transcript of this episode

Aretha Franklin, great gowns

Aretha Franklin Snickers commercial

Aretha Franklin stands in for Pavarotti

Aretha Franklin Obama Inauguration 

Matt Anderson on LinkedIn

Imagination Factory, Matt Anderson’s organization

Dead or Alive quiz game

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In reflecting on the life of Aretha Franklin, this episode of Famous & Gravy examines how fame and mortality intersect as part of a what makes a life worth remembering and known for rethinking celebrity legacies, highlighting moral posture, iconic status, and career longevity. This episode invites contemplation about the emotional architecture of legacy. This legacy podcast explores biographies from a different point of view and contributes to obituary-based storytelling.

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