Aretha Franklin Wins Posthumous 2019 Pulitzer Prize
The late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, has been honored with a special Pulitzer Prize.
The honor, given for Franklin’s decades of achievement, was announced yesterday (Apr. 15) at the 2019 Pulitzer Prizes for Arts, Drama and Music, reports USA Today.
Franklin was recognized “for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades.”
The special award from the Pulitzers is relatively rare. John Coltrane received a citation in 2007, and in 2008 Bob Dylan also received one. In 2010, Hank Williams was also honored.
NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 19: The Queen of Soul & Living Legend Aretha Franklin performs to a SRO audience at the Ryman Auditorium on October 19, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Franklin succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Aug. 18, 2018, at her home in Detroit at the age of 76.
Franklin, an icon, sold millions of albums and won 18 Grammy awards.
Glennisha Morgan is a Detroit-bred multimedia journalist and writer. She writes about intersectionality, hip-hop, pop culture, queer issues, race, feminism, and her truth. Follow her on Twitter.
