The world is mourning the loss of Aretha Franklin, who died on Thursday at her home in Detroit. As it turns out, they not only lost the Queen of Soul but they also lost a very outspoken woman as well.
She is well known for her singing, songwriting and as a civil rights activist. She also was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. As it turns out, she had some rather interesting things to say about others in her lifetime.
For example, a New York Post columnist once had something to say about Aretha’s choice of revealing clothing. That comment didn’t go unchecked. Score one for the Jazz Singer.
In 1993 NY Post columnist Liz Smith wrote: "[Aretha Franklin] must know she’s too bosomy to wear such clothing, but she just doesn't care what we think, and that attitude is what separates mere stars from true divas.”
Aretha wrote to her… pic.twitter.com/wpm6JlbqDa
— Letters of Note (@LettersOfNote) August 16, 2018
Aretha also took on Dion Warwick with a fax machine. It stemmed from comments that Warwick made at Whitney Houston’s funeral.
As it turns out, those slams were just a warm-up to our favorite. Check out what Aretha had to say about Taylor Swift:
Swift was certainly hot on the scene in 2014 when Aretha sat down for an interview with the Wall Street Journal. She was asked to speak her mind about her contemporaries.
She was first asked about Adele, to which she said “young singer, good singer.”
Alicia Keys came up next: “young performer, good writer, producer.”
And then there was Taylor Swift…
Aretha said, “Okay, uh…great gowns, beautiful gowns.”
When the subject of Nicki Minaj came up, she simply said, “I’m gonna pass on that one.”
It was in the same year that Aretha serenaded Swift for her birthday party.
Watch Aretha Franklin serenade Taylor Swift for her birthday in 2014 pic.twitter.com/MlwpIio9C4
— billboard (@billboard) August 16, 2018
She wasn’t just a woman with a snappy comeback, she was also a powerful singer as well.
You can relive the moment in which her performance of Natural Woman made Barack Obama cry.
We know how you feel, Obama. RIP Aretha Franklin.
