Aretha Franklin has passed at the age of 76.
I feel such a profound loss. Yes, she was a tremendous singer. Yes, she was a consummate musician who played a mean piano. Yes, she could sing anything from soul to opera.
But she also wrote the songbook for my life and that of others my age. I grew up with her music and her life.
She was like my big sister, navigating through the choppy waters of life, sometimes fighting to stay afloat but always staying the course.
I will miss her, but I feel so blessed to have had her in my life.