Aretha Franklin wins posthumous 2019 Pulitzer Prize

R-E-S-P-E-C-T is always the mood.

What We Know:

• The Queen of Soul received the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation honor Monday, becoming the first individual woman to earn a special citation prize since the honor was first awarded in 1930.
• The Pulitzer board said the award was given to Franklin for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades.
• Franklin died on Aug. 16 at her home in Detroit from pancreatic cancer at age 76.
• The superstar musician was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when she entered the prestigious organization in 1987.
• Franklin’s inclusion into the exclusive club re-confirms the impact her music — and voice — had and continues to have on the world.
  Note: The Pulitzer board most recently awarded a special citation prize in 2010 to Hank Williams, the country music legend who died in 1953. From the arts world, other recipients include Duke Ellington, Bob Dylan, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, George Gershwin, Ray Bradbury, William Schuman, Milton Babbitt, Scott Joplin, Roger Sessions, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Aretha Franklin became a cultural icon and genius of American song, considered by many to be the greatest popular vocalist of her time. Her voice transcended age, category and her own life.