Aretha Franklin died on Thursday at her home in Detroit at the age of 76. Hailed as the Queen of Soul, the singer was known for her rousing performances — no more apparent than when she took the stage for the 38th Annual Kennedy Center Honors in 2015. During a tribute to Carole King, one of the evening’s award recipients, Franklin brought down the house with a powerful rendition of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” The tune, which was co-written by King and Gerry Goffin, was first released in 1967 and has long been one of Franklin’s signature tracks. The number opens with the star, sporting a floor-length fur coat, accompanying herself on the piano as King, then-President Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle look on in awe. Just a few lines into the first verse, Obama can be seen wiping away tears. But the true moment of wonder comes as Franklin moves to the center of the stage and belts out the song’s ending. As everyone in the crowd jumps to their feet — the first couple and King among them — they sing along passionately before giving her a thunderous standing ovation. When interviewed for a New Yorker piece on Franklin the following year, Obama opened up about the impact the moment had on him. “American history wells up when Aretha sings,” he told the publication in 2016. “That’s why, when she sits down at a piano and sings ‘A Natural Woman,’ she can move me to tears — the same way that Ray Charles’ version of ‘America the Beautiful’ will always be in my view the most patriotic piece of music ever performed — because it captures the fullness of the American experience, the view from the bottom as well as the top, the good and the bad, and the possibility of synthesis, reconciliation, transcendence.” Following news of Franklin’s passing, Obama echoed the statement — celebrating her life with a heartfelt post on Twitter. “Aretha helped define the American experience,” he wrote. “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. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace.” King, who recorded her own version of “Natural Woman” in 1971, was also among the many celebrities, who took to social media and expressed their grief over Franklin’s death.<doc-sep>Barack and Michelle Obama have always had a special relationship with Aretha Franklin, who died at age 76 on Thursday at her home in Detroit. The former president and first lady have been selective in the public statements they’ve made since leaving the White House, but after the news of Franklin’s death, they issued a deeply heartfelt letter of remembrance to the media. Referencing Franklin’s designated title, “the Queen of Soul,” the Obamas began, “America has no royalty. But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring.” The Obamas’ statement is moving both for what it says about Franklin and for what it says about a polarized country that’s united for a moment in mourning her loss. Franklin’s passing touched both the former and current president, with Donald Trump tweeting that she was “a great woman, with a wonderful gift from God, her voice.” Statement from President and Mrs. Obama on the Passing of Aretha Franklin pic.twitter.com/exgjm86d19 — Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) August 16, 2018 The Queen of Soul and the Obamas had a special relationship for many years. Franklin performed at Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, delivering an iconic performance of “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” as well as an iconic fashion statement. (In contrast, Franklin pointedly refused to say whether she’d sing at Trump’s inauguration when asked if she would. On Thursday, the president reportedly claimed to the White House press pool that Franklin was “a person he knew well” who “had worked for him.”) The Obamas witnessed another special moment from Franklin in 2015, this time at the 38th annual Kennedy Center Honors — the penultimate such evening attended by an American president since Trump took office. On this night, Franklin gave a surprise performance of “Natural Woman” to honor the song’s composer, Carole King — and she brought the house down. Rocking the song in one of her famous furs and accompanying herself on piano like it was nothing, Franklin was so emotive that she moved Obama, along with King herself, to tears. That same year, the Obamas hosted a performance of gospel singing at the White House — where, despite a broken air conditioner, Franklin and the Morgan State University choir led the room in what was effectively an old-time camp meeting. In their statement upon her death, the Obamas affirmed that Franklin’s voice wasn’t just miraculous. In it, they declared, we heard our history, our struggles, and the painful progress of being American: “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.” In essence, the Obamas are saying Franklin was an artist who spoke to all of us, regardless of identity, and whose music represented us all at our best and worst, and perhaps even showed us ways of reconciling our flaws with ourselves and each other. The implication that we need that unity more than ever rings loud and clear. “She helped us feel more connected to each other,” they wrote, “more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance.” Spoken like true devotees of the woman who taught us all how to rock steady.<doc-sep>Current and former presidents and first ladies paid tribute to the Queen of Soul — with mixed success The Obamas Pay Tribute to Aretha Franklin as Trump Faces Backlash for Saying 'She Worked for Me' In contrast, President Trump has been criticized for his statement to the press, which said in part, “She worked for me…” Get push notifications with news, features and more. “I want to begin today by expressing my condolences to the family of a person I knew well. She worked for me on numerous occasions,” Trump said to a press pool on Thursday. “She was terrific — Aretha Franklin — on her passing. She brought joy to millions of lives and her extraordinary legacy will thrive and inspire many generations to come. She was given a great gift from God — her voice, and she used it well. People loved Aretha. She was a special woman. So just want to pass on my warmest best wishes and sympathies to her family.” It’s unclear what Trump meant by his claim that Franklin “worked” for him. He could be referring to the fact that Franklin performed at the Trump’s Castle casino in 1988 and the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in the 1990s, according to the Press of Atlantic City. The White House did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for clarification. Meanwhile on Twitter, many critics were incensed by Trump’s remark. According to some on Twitter, the statements from the Clintons and Obamas were noticeably more heartfelt. “Like people all around the world, Hillary and I are thinking about Aretha Franklin tonight & listening to her music that has been such an important part of our lives the last 50 years,” former President Bill Clinton wrote on Twitter. “We hope you’ll lift her up by listening and sharing her songs that have meant the most to you.” Hillary Clinton also tweeted a tribute, writing, “Mourning the loss today of @ArethaFranklin who shared her spirit and talent with the world. She deserves not only our RESPECT but also our lasting gratitude for opening our eyes, ears and hearts. Rest in eternal peace, my friend.” The Obamas were even more effusive in their love and acknowledgment of her legacy. The former president and first lady had a special friendship with Franklin, who famously performed at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration. “America has no royalty. But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring,” the former president wrote on behalf of him and his wife, per a statement that was later posted on Instagram. “Born in Memphis and raised in Detroit, Aretha Franklin grew up performing gospel songs in her father’s congregation. For more than six decades since, every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine.” Franklin, who battled pancreatic cancer for years, began her vocal career as a teenager. She sang gospel hymns in her father’s Detroit church. From these humble beginnings she scaled to the very heights of stardom, scoring her first national chart-topper in 1967 with her version of Otis Redding’s “Respect.” Since then, the artist has notched 77 Hot 100 chart entries, and earned an astounding 18 Grammys out of 44 nominations. In 1987, two decades after her first No. 1 hit, Franklin became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and was later named the Greatest Singer of All Time by Rolling Stone. Obama made sure to acknowledge Franklin’s historical importance in his post. RELATED VIDEO: Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin Has Died of Pancreatic Cancer at Age 76 “Through her compositions and unmatched musicianship, Aretha helped define the American experience,” Obama continued, “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. She helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance. “Aretha may have passed on to a better place, but the gift of her music remains to inspire us all,” Obama added. “May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace. Michelle and I send our prayers and warmest sympathies to her family and all those moved by her song.” On Thursday morning, Michelle Obama wrote on Instagram: “Watching Aretha Franklin perform at the White House, and on so many other occasions, made time stand still. @BarackObama and I are holding Aretha’s family in our hearts right now. She will forever be our Queen of Soul.” The Obamas aren’t the only ones from the previous administration who reflected on Franklin’s legacy. Former White House photographer Pete Souza took a break from trolling President Trump to post a photo of the singer.<doc-sep>President Trump offered “condolences to the family of a person I knew well. She worked for me on numerous occasions. She was terrific,” he said at a cabinet meeting Thursday. “She’s brought joy to millions of lives and her extraordinary legacy will thrive and inspire many generations to come. She was given a great gift from God — her voice, and she used to well. People loved Aretha. She was a special woman.”<doc-sep>
When the death of Aretha Franklin was announced on Thursday morning, one US president paid tribute to a voice that offered “a glimpse of the divine”, in which Americans could feel “our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect”. That was the former president, Barack Obama, who released a joint statement with his wife Michelle praising the legacy of the woman known as the “queen of soul”. Donald Trump, on the other hand, could not resist opening his remarks on the singer’s death with a little self-promotion. “I want to begin today by expressing my condolences to the family of a person I knew well. She worked for me on numerous occasions. She was terrific – Aretha Franklin – on her passing,” Trump said at a White House cabinet meeting, according to a pool report. He continued, more warmly: “She’s brought joy to millions of lives and her extraordinary legacy will thrive and inspire many generations to come. She was given a great gift from God – her voice, and she used it well. People loved Aretha. She was a special woman. So just want to pass on my warmest best wishes and sympathies to her family.” This video has been removed. This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason. 'I didn't want to sing at first': Aretha Franklin in her own words – video Trump did not explain further when he said he knew Franklin well and she “worked for” him. But the singer had performed at one of Trump’s casinos and was photographed with him at the grand opening of New York’s Trump International Hotel & Tower in 1997. Franklin drew much more notice for her performance at Obama’s first inauguration in 2009, when he was sworn into office as the first black president and she sang My Country, ’Tis of Thee on the steps of the Capitol. She also sang (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, attended by Obama, and her performance moved him to tears. But the Obamas’ statement focused on Franklin’s importance to Americans. The Obama's statement on Aretha Franklin's passing: "Aretha helped define the American experience. 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." pic.twitter.com/zfCh4qup2r — Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) August 16, 2018 “America has no royalty. But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring. Born in Memphis and raised in Detroit, Aretha Franklin grew up performing gospel songs in her father’s congregation. For more than six decades since, every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine,” they said. “Through her compositions and unmatched musicianship, Aretha helped define the American experience. 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. She helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human. And sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance.” The Obamas sent their prayers to her “family and all those moved by her song”. Trump posted a tweet that concluded: “She will be missed!” 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! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2018