The world is mourning the death of legendary American singer, Aretha Franklin at the age of 76. The Queen of Soul as she was commonly referred to was arguably the greatest singer of all time.

According to a statement released by her family on Thursday, Aretha, whose gospel-rooted singing and blues influenced generations of singers with unforgettable hits such as” Respect” in 1967 died at 9:50 am at her Detroit home, surrounded by family and friends.

The statement which was released on behalf of her family by her longtime publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn said the official cause of her death was advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuro-endocrine type which was confirmed by her oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.

“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. We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers.

“We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time. Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days,” the statement said.

The singer had been reported to be in failing health for several years and appeared frail in recent photos, but she kept her struggles private.

In February 2017, Franklin announced she would stop touring. Earlier this year, she canceled a pair of performances, including one at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on the orders of her doctor.

Franklins ‘s final public performance was last November when she sang at an Elton John AIDS Foundation gala in New York.

The first woman to be admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Franklin had 88 Billboard Chart hits during the rock era, tops among every other female vocalist. At the peak of her career – between 1967 and 1975, she had more than two dozen Top 40 hits.

With other hits like ‘Natural Woman’ in 1968 and ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ in 1968, she won 18 Grammy awards, including the honour for best female R&B performance for eight straight years.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1942, Franklin was raised mostly in Detroit where her father, C.L. Franklin was a prominent minister and a nationally known gospel singer.

Franklin, who began singing as a member of the choir of her father’s church began recording gospel music at age 14, touring the gospel circuit with her father. In the process, she made friends with stars such as Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke.

The mother of four had a reportedly tumultuous personal life, having been divorced twice and had brushes with the law. But Franklin’s lows and the emotion involved fueled her music.

She saw a number of resurgences in the past three decades and her image as a pop icon endured, with former American president, Barack Obama collaborating with her to sing her “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” at his inauguration in 2009.

Expectedly, Obama was of one the very first prominent personalities to eulogize the late singer.

He tweeted: “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. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace.”