This is the first “celebrity” loss I’ve felt. Like, I’m grieving today. I catch myself shedding tears and being overwhelmed by the weight of having another “great” pass on.
And I didn’t know her. She has no idea the profound effect her music has had on me. And she won’t until I meet her in heaven.
But I’ve never felt the gravity of a loss like this. It’s a peculiar thing. I remember being shocked when Prince died, and Michael Jackson, but I didn’t FEEL it like this.
And yes, part of it is because we now live in a world in which Aretha isn’t alive. But mostly, I’m so deeply and irrevocably grateful to her for what she’s given me. She was the first artist that touched my soul. I sang to her songs as a 2-year-old, in the backseat of our Cadillac, not understanding the lyrics but feeling them nonetheless. And I still have one of her CDs in my car. I’m so grateful that she was one of the first artists my parents turned us onto. Soul music colored my childhood, and Aretha was obviously at the top of that food chain.
Her music wasn’t only revolutionary in the 60s when she first started recording. It continued to rock the world throughout the decades, and it’s gonna keep on keepin’ on. It’s timeless and classic. It makes you feel alright. Not to mention how she paved the way for so many women in music. She literally influenced all of my influences. I can’t think of a single one she didn’t.
She unites my family in a way I can’t fully describe. Music is such a profoundly strong, important, unbreakable tie in this family, and she has a monumental role in that. I think that’s why I’ve shed so many tears today… out of gratitude. We all share this deep passion and feeling for her music, and it connects our souls. I’m thankful that she influenced my Pop, the radio DJ and performer, and that his blood is in my veins and his soul is in my voice. I’m grateful that Dad heard 60s soul music once he left home, and it completely rocked his world and set him on his path. He wanted to be PART of that. Part of music that meant something and made you feel something.
I feel it’s incredibly dramatic to say “without Aretha, I wouldn’t be here,” but I think there’s some truth to that. She has given me and my family something so uniquely special. She has given the WORLD something so uniquely special. We wouldn’t be bonded like this without soul music, and, well, she’s the Queen. And all I know is I can’t wait to hear that iconic voice, live, in heaven, backed by angels. Long live the Queen of Soul.
And thank you, Aretha, from the bottom of my heart.