Veteran newsman Dan Rather eulogized the "Queen of Soul" in a touching tribute on his Facebook page Thursday.
"The wondrous chorus that is America at its best has lost a powerful voice," Rather wrote. "Aretha Franklin could shake the heavens and our own complacency with a spirit that was forged in the church and later expanded into diverse musical genres and audiences around the globe."
He remembered her as someone born into a country where the prospects of someone like her were limited. But she refused to be "denied the destiny of her soul." He said that was how she became the queen.
"In a time when we are desperately in need of strong voices to push back at the injustices of the present, in a time when we see the marginalized attacked, dehumanized, and dismissed, by the President of the United States, we will miss Franklin greatly," he wrote. "There will never be another voice quite like hers. But we can hope that future generations will continue to be inspired and demand to be heard."
CNN host Don Lemon, a friend of Franklin, also remembered her in a tearful tribute.
Read the full post below: