The most captivating photos of Aretha Franklin you've probably never seen
By EW Staff August 23, 2018 at 01:00 PM EDT
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The Queen of Soul, long may she reign
Aretha Franklin
Credit: Heilemann/Camera Press/Redux
From her gospel beginnings in the early ’50s to her 2014 cover of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” Aretha Franklin — who died Aug. 16 at 76 — wowed audiences with the power of her incomparably intense and instantly recognizable mezzo-soprano. Ahead, we look back at some of her most captivating performance and behind-the-scenes photos.
Pictured: Franklin in New York's Central Park in 1968.
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Posing for a portrait circa 1970
Queen Of Soul Portrait
Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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Singing ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ at Madison Square Garden in 1968
Aretha Franklin THE QUEEN OF SOUL
Credit: © Walter Iooss Jr./Globe Photos via ZUMA Wire
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Backstage before a performance at Symphony Hall in Newark, New Jersey, in 1969
Aretha Franklin
Credit: Walter Iooss/Getty Images
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With Stevie Wonder during a BET Honors dinner at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 2012
BET Honors 2012 - Pre-Honors Dinner
Credit: Kris Connor/Getty Images
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Photo session with Art Kane in 1967
"Halo" photo session by Art Kane,
Credit: Art Kane
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Posing for a portrait in 1973
Portrait Of Aretha Franklin
Credit: Anthony Barboza/Getty Images
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Posing for a portrait in Los Angeles in 1980
Aretha Franklin Portrait Session
Credit: Harry Langdon/Getty Images
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Holding a copy of her album Soul ’69 in the Atlantic Records studios in New York in 1969
Queen Of Soul Holding Her "Soul '69" Album
Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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In the studio with Jerry Jemmott, Spooner Oldham, Tommy Cogbill, Jimmy Johnson, Roger Hawkins, and Arif Mardin in 1968
Aretha Franklin Atlantic Sessions
Credit: David Gahr/Getty Images
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Performing with Mariah Carey for VH1 Divas Live in 1998
VH1 Divas Live
Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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View of the Apollo Theater in New York in 1971
Aretha Franklin
Credit: Tyrone Dukes/The New York Times/Redux
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EW's tribute issue
ew-cover-1526
Credit: (c) 1968 Paul McCartney. Photographer: Linda McCartney
To read more on Aretha Franklin’s legacy, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday, or buy it here now. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.
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By EW Staff