It saddens hearts world wide with the breaking news that soul icon Aretha Franklin passed away today at the age 76. The Franklin family said this on Aretha Franklin’s website:

“In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds,” Franklin’s family said.