R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Try This Quiz on Aretha Franklin

In one of her more impressive performances, Franklin filled in at the last minute for an ill Luciano Pavarotti at the 1998 Grammys. She sang the aria “Nessun dorma,” which she had performed at a tribute to the opera singer two nights before. Her impromptu performance stunned the audience and earned Franklin a lengthy standing ovation.

In 1984, Franklin flew on a turbulent flight that led to an extreme fear of flying, and she remained grounded for the rest of her life. Though she planned to fly again and even took classes to overcome her fear, she never did. In lieu of air travel, Franklin commissioned a lavish tour bus that could fit more than 20 people.

In 1979, Franklin released the disco album “La Diva,” which was a commercial failure. Afterward, she underwent a career revitalization, and signed with Arista Records in 1980. Her 1982 song “Jump to It” saw her return to the Top 10 for the first time in five years, and 1985’s “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” became her first certified platinum album.

At the age of 14, Franklin recorded several live songs at her father’s church, which were released as part of the 1956 live album “Songs of Faith.” Five years later, after signing with Columbia Records, she released her first studio album, appropriately titled “Aretha.” Two songs from the album reached the R&B Top 10.

In October 2014, Franklin became the first woman to reach an unprecedented musical milestone, as the great soul singer earned her 100th charting single. The accomplishment was thanks to her cover of Adele’s song “Rolling in the Deep.” Franklin’s version reached No. 47 on Billboard’s R&B chart, and was among her final charting tracks.

Franklin was no stranger to awards and accolades, but perhaps none was more prestigious than the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — which President George W. Bush presented to her on November 9, 2005. Franklin was honored for having “revolutionized American music” and for “helping to shape our nation’s artistic and cultural heritage.”

Though Franklin began her career with Columbia Records, it wasn’t until she signed with Atlantic Records in 1966 that she rose to worldwide renown. Famed music producer and Atlantic co-founder Jerry Wexler brought Franklin aboard, and it was during her “Atlantic era” that she produced indelible tracks such as “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

Franklin had the honor of performing at inaugural events for three U.S. Presidents. The first was in 1977 for President Jimmy Carter, where Franklin sang “God Bless America.” For Bill Clinton in 1993, she headlined a concert on the National Mall, and in 2009, she sang a rendition of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” at Barack Obama’s first inauguration.

No matter where she went, Franklin always carried a purse with her, even onstage. The tradition stemmed from a ritual in which she insisted that she be paid before each performance. Though Franklin would often place the purse out of view, she prominently placed her bedazzled handbag atop the piano during a performance at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors.

Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, at the address 406 Lucy Avenue in Memphis’ Soulsville neighborhood. The modest wooden cottage — which still stands — fell into disrepair and was abandoned, but plans to revitalize the singer’s birthplace have been discussed, and fans still flock to the site to pay their respects.

While naming a post office or amphitheater after a famous singer isn’t surprising, an asteroid is another story. In 2001, a telescope in Mexico City spotted a small celestial object streaking across the sky, and years later it finally got a proper name: 249516 Aretha. Franklin joins an illustrious list of famous asteroid women, including Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Malala Yousafzai.

On February 16, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. surprised Aretha Franklin in Detroit during a ceremony held in her honor, and gave her a special award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Two months later, Franklin performed “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” at his memorial service in front of a large crowd in Atlanta, Georgia.

Recorded in 1956 when she was only 14, the Queen of Soul’s first songs were actually gospel tunes. They were even recorded at a Detroit Baptist church. During that time, Franklin toured with the gospel group Soul Stirrers, and developed a crush on one of its singers, Sam Cooke. At age 18, Franklin decided to perform secular music like Cooke, and soon signed with Columbia Records.

In 1980, Franklin’s career hit a rare slump. The world had turned toward disco, and soul was placed on the backburner. Franklin needed to switch things up, so she joined the cast of “The Blues Brothers,” starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, and performed her 1968 hit “Think” in character as a restaurant owner and waitress.

With 18 Grammys, Franklin remains third in all-time awards for a woman performer, behind Alison Krauss (27) and Beyoncé Knowles (28). In 1968, Franklin won her first two Grammys for the song “Respect,” for “Best Rhythm and Blues Recording” and “Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female.” She’d go on to win the latter award eight years in a row.

Originally written for Aretha Franklin by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, “A Natural Woman” became an anthem performed by many famous female singers throughout history. King performed the song on her album “Tapestry,” and Celine Dion did her own rendition in “Tapestry: Revisited.” Things came full circle in 2015, when Franklin performed the song at an event honoring King at the Kennedy Center.

To celebrate Aretha Franklin’s 25th anniversary in show business, Michigan’s governor and both state houses declared May 23, 1985, as “Franklin Day” and designated Franklin’s voice as a “natural resource.” Although she wasn’t born in Michigan, Franklin spent most of her childhood in the city of Detroit.

In 1987, Aretha Franklin became the first woman to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Although she wasn’t able to attend the ceremony, she returned the favor in 1995 when she performed “A Natural Woman” at the museum’s grand opening in Cleveland, Ohio.

Aretha Franklin transformed “Respect,” originally performed by Otis Redding as a husband’s marital plea, into a powerful feminist anthem. Although Franklin had previous hits, including “Today I Sing the Blues,” “Respect” delivered her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list.

While some historians disagree on the exact moment Aretha Franklin was (literally) crowned the "Queen of Soul," most point to May 1964. During an event in Chicago, DJ Pervis Spann placed a crown on Franklin’s head and bestowed upon her an honorific title she would enjoy the rest of her life. Fittingly, this R&B coronation occurred at a venue named the Regal Theatre.