Lins Honeyman documents the unsanitised life of the brilliant singer who turned gospel into soul music, ARETHA FRANKLIN

By the end of the '80s, Aretha's youngest sister Carolyn, her matriarch grandmother Big Mama and her brother and one-time manager Cecil had all died and, together with her father's death earlier in the decade, Aretha was more alone than ever despite her relatively new relationship with Detroit fireman Willie Wilkerson who would become her boyfriend for the next 25 years. Returning to the studio, Aretha recorded the aptly-titled 'Through The Storm' - her final album of the '80s - which featured surprisingly unremarkable duets with superstars James Brown, Elton John and Whitney Houston amidst a hodgepodge of mediocre material.

As the '90s rolled in, stylistically-confused albums starting with the unfortunately-titled 'What You See Is What You Sweat' failed to make any commercial impact although the 'Amazing Grace' from two decades earlier would be certified double Platinum in the summer of 1992. Further tax disputes would force her to keep working albeit in sporadic fashion. Contributions to the Malcolm X film soundtrack, appearances at several of President Clinton's inaugural events, a duet with Frank Sinatra and a cameo on a Curtis Mayfield tribute album would keep Aretha in the public eye despite her almost non-existent chart presence - something that would be briefly abated by the relative success of the Lauryn Hill-penned single "A Rose Is Still A Rose" which charted at number 26 in 1998.

Whilst her output at Arista was certainly no match for her earlier work at Atlantic, her standing as one of the greatest singers of all time and her ability to wow a crowd were never in doubt. An appearance at the 1998 Grammy Awards to perform her signature tune "Respect" (which she had recently reprised as part of the Blues Brothers 2000 film) turned into a brief moment of brilliance that showed that she still had what it took. Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti was due to perform "Nessun Dorma" at the same event when news got to Aretha that he had cancelled his performance at the last minute. With the organisers in a panic, Aretha was asked if she would be willing to return to the stage and perform the Puccini aria in Pavarotti's place - something she pulled off with aplomb, earning her respect and rave reviews in the process. Offers of live classical work began to stream in only for them never to see the light of day due to Aretha's habit of eleventh hour cancellations and her phobia of flying.

By the turn of the millennium, her public appearances and recordings would become less and less frequent with trips out of her hometown of Detroit happening only if they were achievable by car. By 2002, Aretha had suffered the death of her eldest sister Erma from cancer whilst Vaughan, a half-brother by her mother and someone she'd become close to in recent years, passed away a mere nine weeks later. Presumably to help deal with the grief of losing so many family members in such a short period of time, Aretha began to eat more and more and her weight started to balloon at an alarming rate. Despite the tragic events of recent times, Aretha's next album was titled 'So Damn Happy' which spawned the well-received hit "The Only Thing Missin'". Further sadness would come to light in 2003 with the news that her friend and producer Luther Vandross had suffered a near fatal stroke. Aretha responded by holding candlelight vigils and prayer services in her home and local church. Aretha would sing at Vandross' funeral in 2005 along with Patti LaBelle, Patti Austin and Alicia Keys.

Throughout the remainder of the decade, a number of other friends, business associates and fellow artists would pass away including Ray Charles, James Brown, Ruth Bowen and Jerry Wexler. These losses would take their toll on Aretha and she began to consider her own mortality. As a result, she put plans in place to make a musical and film of her autobiography Aretha: From These Roots and would hold auditions for the next couple of years. Typically, the project never came to anything but, deciding that her time with Arista was up, she launched her own label Aretha's Records with the first and only album to date 'A Woman Falling Out Of Love' coming out in 2011.

In January 2009, Aretha's status as an icon of American culture was secured when she was invited to sing at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama having been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom four years early by George W Bush. This prestigious award would rest amongst other honours including numerous Grammys, inductions in to the Rock And Roll, UK Music and GMA Gospel Music halls of fame, various lifetime achievement awards and honorary doctorates.

In 2010, Aretha would be hospitalised and operated on for an undisclosed stomach tumour which resulted in the cancellation of several public engagements - a pattern that would continue to the present day. In early 2017, the singer announced that she would be retiring later in the year and advised the music world that "I will be recording but this will be my last year in concert. That is it." Whether or not she keeps her word remains to be seen but, regardless, her standing as one of the greatest, most thrilling and influential artists of all time remains intact.

Despite the often self-inflicted trials and tribulations that she has endured throughout her life, there is something of the survivor in Aretha Franklin. Perhaps the last word should go to Barack Obama as he responded to the Queen Of Soul's performance of "A Natural Woman" at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors: "American history wells up when Aretha sings. Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R&B, rock and roll - the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope."