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"The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, is dead. She was a great woman, with a wonderful gift from God, her voice. She will be missed!"
"When we would be released from jail after a non-violent protest, we might go to a late night club and let the music of Aretha Franklin fill our hearts... Her music gave us a greater sense of determination to never give up or give in"
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"In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade—our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect."
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"She was given a great gift from God -- her voice, and she used it well. People loved Aretha. She was a special woman."
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