The Memoir Of Ms. Butterfly

It’s an honor for me to be able to write a piece on Ms.Franklin. I know many people will wonder why I would choose to write an article on Ms. Franklin when I wasn’t even around when Franklin first emerged on the scene but who wouldn’t want to take the opportunity and say they wrote something? On Ms. Franklin.

 Ms. Franklin. Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee. But to her immediate family, she was known as RiRi. The family moved from Memphis, Tennessee, to Detroit, Michigan, where her father became a minister in New Bethel Baptist Church.

She was known as a preacher’s kid because Ms. Franklin’s parents separated when she was six years old, and lived with her father. Aretha’s parents separate because sources say that her father was abusive to her mother. During their parents’ separation, Her mother, Barbara Franklin, moved to Buffalo, New York, and Barbara would try to return to Detroit as often as possible to visit Aretha in her other two sisters. 

Ms. Franklin’s mother was known as a fantastic pianist. 

Aretha’s mother, Barbara Franklin, died of a heart attack on March 7, 1952, before Aretha’s 10th birthday. After her mother’s death, her grandmother played a significant role in her upbringing and her sisters. Ms. Franklin gave birth to her first son at the age 0f 12.

Her father realized that his daughter was exceptional, so at 14 years old, he took her to several different record labels and became her manager.

Ms. Franklin taught herself how to play the piano. That’s how she became a grand pianist.

She attended a public high school, a Northern high school, back in Detroit in her sophomore year; she decided to drop out of high school.

Rev King often visited Aretha’s family home, and when Aretha was 16 years old, she went on tour with Rev King. It was in 1958, shortly after she recorded her first album. A decade later, in 1968, Rev King passed away, and Aretha had the honor of singing at his funeral. Yes, Ms. Aretha Franklin was blessed with a fantastic voice. Still, she was also an excellent Pianist and a civil rights activist. She was also known for writing her own songs and Was a record producer.

Ms. Franklin had many dark demons to fight through her younger years. She had a severe drinking problem and found herself in relationships that were not the healthiest for her physically or mentally speaking.

 The pain and struggle of losing her mom at such a young and finding herself fighting for her own life because of poor decision-making are why I believe she was able to get Aretha Franklin Roar as she was in her music.

She was signed for the first time by Columbia Records, the association that lasted for 6 years and became an instant international craze.

She signed the Atlantic Records and Arista Records, the label she stuck with for 20 good years. She was the winner of 18 Grammy Awards and has also received many American Music Awards. She had given to the world acclaimed albums like I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Soul Lady, Young, Gifted & Black, etc.

 She was one of the best-selling female artists of all time and had been listed twice on the ‘100 Greatest Artists of All Time’ and ‘100 Greatest Singers of All Time’ lists in Rolling Stone magazine.

Something I had no idea about until I was putting the final touches on my article on Ms. Franklin is that she is the Godmother who was known as the voice to the world, which was given to her by Oprah Winfrey and that person name Whitney Houston.

Ms. Franklin was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her sister sang background for her in a lot of her live shows. Not Many people know that Ms. Franklin was married twice once Glynn Turman (M. 1978–1984), Ted White (M. 1961–1969) 

Ms. Franklin passed away at age 76, sadly from pancreatic cancer, making things she dying owing to the IRS 8 Million dollars in back taxes. But, what’s more terrifying is that she dies, like most Americans and what I mean is that Ms. Franklin dies without a will.

I don’t understand why that is worth more than a regular joe on the street would not leave a will behind. Maybe she felt like it would be like giving up on cancer that was taking over her body. But, after her death in August 2018, going through her things, family, and friends for three different handwritten wills dated one was dated 2010, 2014 & 2019. Franklin’s niece, Sabrina Owens, was named the estate’s executor.

As a result, Michigan law stipulated her assets would be divided equally among her four adult sons, and they agreed to designate their cousin Franklin’s niece.

they said her eyes opened, and she said, ‘Bernadette. ‘ And that was the last word she ever said, they said,” Fakir recalled. “That was her favorite song by the Tops, by the way, ‘Bernadette. ‘ So, to have been on her lips, the last word she said.

Even though she has been gone for almost four years, everyone in the music industry speaks highly of her. But, unfortunately, some people out in the world thought of her as a diva. The word diva has always had such a terrible stigma behind it. I would love to turn the word diva into something positive regarding Ms. Franklin.

If fighting your way up to the top makes her diva, so be it & having the ability to lose yourself in the darkness but find the light again because you can find god again. God gave her the strength to overcome the hardships of life so she may share her extraordinary gift.

Ms.Butterfly Genesis