GENE SIMMONS - "The New Pop Princesses Have To Understand That Greatness Once Existed, And Her Name Was ARETHA FRANKLIN"
August 19, 2018, 6 years ago
The Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin, passed away on Thursday, August 16th at the age of 76 due to advanced pancreatic cancer. KISS co-founder Gene Simmons appeared on HLN's Aretha Franklin tribute show and offered his thoughts on the music icon.
Simmons: "Here is a lesson for all of us. First of all, it's the saddest day. I love Aretha and always will. But all those little girls out who are watching America's Got Talent and stuff like that... shut up, get over yourself, sit down and listen to this music, because the new pop princesses have to understand that greatness once existed and her name was Aretha Franklin."
Aretha Franklin recorded 112 charted singles on Billboard, including 77 Hot 100 entries, 17 top-ten pop singles, 100 R&B entries and 20 number one R&B singles, becoming the most charted female artist in the chart's history. She received numerous honors throughout her career, including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the first female performer to be inducted.
Franklin was inducted to the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. In August 2012, she was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame. She is listed in at least two all-time lists by Rolling Stone magazine, including the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
