The Queen of Soul’s legacy continues to grow. Aretha Franklin has been posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
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Franklin was awarded a special citation prize "for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades.” She is the first woman to receive such an honor, and will become just the 14th recipient ever, joining the likes of Bob Dylan and John Coltrane.
Franklin was also the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It was impossible to overlook her decades-long career that included the groundbreaking hit “Respect,” one of 73 songs she placed on the Billboard Hot 100.
Franklin died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76 last year. She’s also on her way to having a highway renamed after her in her hometown of Detroit.