we have breaking news this hour. sad breaking news. the queen of soul, aretha franklin, has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. she was 76 years old. franklin passing at home in hospice care surrounded by family and friends. franklin was and remains undoubtedly one of the most influential and important voices in global music history. her career spanning more than half a century. she churned out dozens of iconic hits over those deck kids.

"respect," "think," "freeway of love," just to name a few. and she was the first woman admitted to the rock and roll hall of fame. she performed for popes, presidents, and royalty, a veritable queen herself. but she says she wanted any talk of her legacy to begin with this, her efforts to be a mother and a wonderful mother at that. a personal favorite here, franklin's cameo on "blues brothers" almost two decades ago. ♪ freedom, freedom freedom, freedom ♪ ♪ freedom, freedom freedom, freedom ♪ >> tributes are flowing in from around the globe from presidents, from prime ministers, from every day americans, from the entertainment industry as well. president trump just moments ago paying tribute at a cabinet meeting. we may get a tape of those remarks in a uh few moments. let's get to cnn's ryan young. he is in detroit outside the church where the gift and grace

of aretha franklin blossoms. ryan? >> reporter: john, absolutely. people in this city want to make sure people understand how much they love aretha franklin. people have been driving by, playing her music, honking horns. so many people here have personal stories. i want to talk to the man who leads the church where so much of her history is tied to. reverend robert smith. today is a day that stands out. you know about the pain she was suffering for quite some time. what can you tell the world about aretha franklin? >> she loved god. she loved her church. and she loved her daddy. she kept her daddy's name alive by having an annual revival and gospel singing night, three nights every year. the month of august. it would be going on right now, next week. that's when it was planned for every year. she'd feed all the people in the community until they can't eat no more. we all sing and shout half the night. >> reporter: give me something

personal that will attach you to her. i keep hearing from people she never changed, she was normal. give me something that touched you in your time with her. >> well, i knew her through pictures for a long time because i lived in a little town called pensacola, florida. it's not a little town now. it was about 12,000 people when i was there though. ted white sr. living a street over from me. my parents ran a grocery store. i would take his groceries home and see all these pictures of this famous woman, aretha franklin. here i am today. she's made my name a household word. i've traveled much of the globe because of her. i will in her debt all of my life, but i'm certainly thankful that she got her heavenly reward. >> reporter: what was that voice like, when you were in the room and the fact you see so many people in detroit touched by her love for the city as well? >> well, her voice was like none other. governor blanchard called it a

natural resource of detroit. >> reporter: my very last question is how will you guys move forward now in terms of trying to remember aretha franklin? >> well, we're waiting on the family, whatever the family tells us, that's what we're going to do. i do hope that they understand that i'm just here to serve them. >> reporter: thank you so much, reverend. i really appreciate you. you talk often and we give people these monikers, the king of pop or whatever. there's only one queen of soul. you can feel the love for her within this city. i went to a barbershop yesterday and everyone had a personal story about their connection with aretha franklin. something i want to point out here is a lot of people loved her for the idea she never left this city. she didn't give up on this city. now you see the city coming back, and they feel like aretha's love for it was part of

that reason that so many people felt the need to come back to this city. john, you listen to the music, it puts a smile on your face, and know she spanned six decades. it touches many people, feeding so many people in this city over and over again. a lot of people said she could have left, but she stayed. john? >> ryan young, grateful for that great reporting. it's a sad day but also a celebration. please extend our thanks and gratitude for reverend smith for taking time on this difficult day. joining me now with insights on the phone, cnn's van jones. nichelle, let me start with you as we celebrate aretha franklin the entertainer. put her into context. she is the queens, ahead of the pack and by herself and alone. >> absolutely. putting her into context is hard to do, john, because she set the standard in so many way for so many artists of today. we've seen so many of them pay tribute to her and talk about the way she changed the face of

music. paul mccartney said it this morning, that she inspired their generation, inspired them and the beatles. so when you think about that and think about how she put soul music into the mainstream in a lot of ways, she really did inspire a generation of music. she was effortlessly using her gospel sound in soul music and making it mainstream. so it's hard to put her into context. when you heard her voice and things that she could do -- i remember 1998, i think it was pavarotti who was sick and couldn't perform at the grammys. aretha franklin stepped in. she brought people to their feet. she brought tears to their eyes. that just showed her range and showed everything she could do. it is a sad day, but i heard you say it's a celebration. actually, i am on the set of

"murphy brown" for entertainment tonight. you remember how much her music meant to murphy brown. i just talked to candace burgen about aretha and her legacy. she told a great story about sitting at the piano and singing "natural woman" on the set of "murphy brown" with aretha and how much it meant to her and how much she'll remember that. it was a moment in history for her. just those little things that have happened along the way are what shaped her to be the queen of soul. >> remarkable moment. what makes it so stunning is it's just one of dozens and dozens. van jones, i'm going to bring you in but make you wait for a second. aretha franklin at the house of blues in 2008 singing her signature "respect." ♪

♪ ♪ >> van, you're watching aretha franklin here singing "respect." if we rewind the clock to when she first started singing that song, maybe many americans, maybe younger americans don't remember it as such or realize it as such, it's a civil rights ballot. >> absolutely. it's a sad day, but she is somebody whose voice and artistry would stand by itself, speak for itself. she comes out of tradition. her father, c.l. franklin, was already an icon, a civil rights giant. she grew up in that church singing gospel music in that

church but under the direction and tutelage of a father she never stopped talking about and detroit has never stopped talking about. then that song became an anthem both for women and for african-americans. it's the only real song that bridged those two movements in realtime instantly in 1967. and she was honored by everybody. george bush -- george w. bush gave her the medal of freedom. barack obama had her sing at his inauguration. i mean, she's just a universal icon, but she was always a friend of poor folks and people who were seeking justice. when angela davis, probably the most controversial woman of her moment, was arrested, ultimately cleared, aretha franklin said, i will bail her out and was willing to put up a quarter million dollars to bail her out. people were shocked by that. but she said, listen, she's a friend of black women, she's a black leader, and that became a part of the legacy as well.

>> van, you just mentioned george w. bush. we have some sound. this is the impact she had. when you cover politics, you're around a lot of celebrities and politicians. watching the face of the president of the united states, for example, whether it's george w. bush or barack obama, we have both. you understand when they understand they're in a special place because they're around famous people all the time. they're around celebrities all the time. they're themselves the president of the united states. they get chills being around aretha franklin. listen here to george w. bush. >> one record executive put it this way, aretha is still the best singer in the world bar none. she finds meanings in lyrics that the composers didn't even know they had. she chills you, heats you, affects your soul. it's exhilarating. >> she chills you, heats you, affects your soul. it's exhilarating. >> yeah, yeah, absolutely. i got chills just listening to that. >> i only got a chance to meet

her one time. i was in nashville, tennessee. i was just a young guy. i walked into a hotel lobby, she was sitting there. her staff were trying to figure out where she was supposed to be next. i went over to say hello to her, and she treated me like i was the most important person in the world. i was nobody. she was the queen. she was regal. but she asked me, where are you from, where's your father from, where's your mother from? you look like a good young man. stay on your studies. she just had that regal quality where you walked away feeling like you were the important one even though she was a global superstar. i can tell you there are thousands and thousands of people who can tell you similar stories. she was a queen, but she was the people's queen. >> well, i have one. i mean, out of the blue about three years ago, i got an e-mail from aretha. just out of the blue. it was just her saying she watched me on television -- oh,

i'm sorry. i'm getting a little choked up. she was proud of me. that meant the world to me, as you can imagine. so i started e-mailing her back. we struck up a relationship over e-mail. she would invite me to her birthday parties and talk about how much fun they were and just check in every now and then. she would tell me about other women that she was very supportive of and that she loved. it was just very special because here she was, an icon, a legend, the queen of soul, taking time to tell a young reporter in this business how special she was, that she mattered. that meant the world to me, and i'll never forget it. >> in many ways, that's as great, if not a greater legacy than the music itself. just being such a mentor and supporter of others. as she said, she wants to be remembered most of all as a wonderful mother. we'll do that as we continue our coverage. thanks so much for your insights. next for us here, her legacy

undeniable, but the queen herself wanted to be remembered, listen here, for more than her music. >> what would you want people to remember about aretha and her voice? >> not only was i a wonderful artist, but i am a wonderful woman and a wonderful mother. that's what i'd like for you -- and a friend -- to remember about me. fact is, every insurance company hopes you drive safely. but allstate actually helps you drive safely... with drivewise. it lets you know when you go too fast... ...and brake too hard. with feedback to help you drive safer. giving you the power to actually lower your cost. unfortunately, it can't do anything about that. now that you know the truth... are you in good hands?

♪ ♪ our breaking news this hour, aretha franklin, the queen of soul, has passed on at the age

of 76. as we celebrate her life and legacy, tributes flowing in from around the world. this statement just released moments ago from the former president of the united states, barack obama. among the things michelle and barack obama say in this statement, she helped us feel more connected to each other, more hopeful, more human, and sometimes she helped us just forget about everything else and dance. amen to those words from the former president. let's bring a civil rights icon, the congressman john lewis. he joins me on the phone. congressman, i want to read a bit of your statement too. i found it so poignant. you talk about times when you were jailed for your nonviolent protests during the movement, when we would be released from jail after a nonviolent protest, we might go to a late-nightclub and let the music of aretha franklin fill our hearts. she was like a muse whose songs whispered the strength to continue on. sir, i appreciate your time today. just your thoughts and reflections on the remarkable life of aretha franklin. >> thank you, john. we have lost one of the great spirits of our time. aretha inspired all of us with

her unbelievable capacity and ability to make us smile, to dance, to be happy. she was just a wonderful, beautiful soul. i met her on several occasions, and she was always up and always asking about people. about a year and a half ago, i saw her in washington at the portrait gallery. she went asking about all of the people in the movement that she knew, about some of the young people. one moment i will never forget in august 1967, she was performing at a convention for dr. king. she was singing and she got happy and kept singing. and dr. king asked someone to go

over and tell aretha, we got to close it out, it's getting late. but she was feeling so good about being there to perform for dr. king and the movement. that was the last performance that dr. king witnessed of hers. >> i watched an sbriinterview t morning right after this news broke. she was minimizing her role as a civil rights pioneer saying she might have been at the marches, but she was in the back, that she didn't think of herself as such an influence. i'm assuming you would dispute that. >> i would dispute that because she did so much. she would help gather people together, to raise money. i think she was deeply motivated and inspired by not just her own music but also by the teaching and preaching of her father. >> there are different ways to make your point. you were on the front lines, sir. you were jailed. you were bloodied. you were beaten.

how important is it as you're trying to make your case, largely to white america, to listen, but when you do have this remarkable entertainer who suddenly becomes more main stree mainstream, what contribution does that have to the cause? >> aretha and so many other entertainers, they were black, they were white, they were hispanic, but they all came together to make it real, to make it plain. dr. king used to say from time to time, people would be singing or preaching, make it plain, make it real. that's what these musicians and entertainers had the ability to do. i was in new york, oh, about two, three years ago. she saw me and she said, come to my birthday party. come to my birthday party. after the concert, she invited me to come to a birthday party. it was really in the lobby of a

hotel in downtown manhattan. >> it is a very long list, a tribute to her long legacy and long career, but if congressman john lewis, civil rights hero, had to pick an aretha franklin song to listen to, to reflect on this day, what would it be? >> "respect." >> amen for that. congressman john lewis, appreciate your time on this day and your insights on the impact of this remarkable woman, aretha franklin. congressman, again, thank you so much. appreciate it. i want to bring in cnn's don lemon, who also knew aretha franklin personally. let me just start, i heard you earlier, but now that you're with a camera here and can look our viewers in the eye, to just share your thoughts on this day. >> it's obviously a sad day. i've been heartened by all the tributes and all the people who are saying, you know, really kind things about aretha, as they should. she's an icon, she's a legend. to hear someone like john lewis speak about her really warms

your heart. i got to spend some time with her, not a lot of time, like many of her friends she's known for decades. i've known her for the past five to seven years. we just developed this friendship where we would contact each other, often through texts, and every once in a while i would get a random phone call from her. we would do lunch or i'd go to her party or see her here in the city. the last time i saw her was in 2017 in the late spring, early summer when she was here for the release party for clive davis. she performed and looked amazing. i can only imagine -- she didn't tell us then, but what she was dealing with. after that, she no longer did concerts. i'm heartbroken. but i'm heartened that her legacy will live on.

the music will play on. as we've been listening, john, to so many hits. an you know, i've been speaking to a lot of folks who knew her, and one of them is also iconic, deon warwick. i think she's on with us now. are you there? >> yes, i am. >> how are you doing today? >> i'm trying to pull this together. you know, we've lost an iconic not only voice but person. we were both teenagers when we first met. it's sad, but you know, her father being a minister and my grandfather also was a minister, and my grandfather told me many years ago -- and i'm sure aretha's father must have said something of this nature -- that

god put us all here for a purpose. you know, once we fulfill that purpose, his reward is to call us home. >> tell us about -- you guys came along at the same time. i've seen some of the images of you and stevie wonder, all of you in the same room. what was it like? you had to come up through the ranks then. it wasn't like someone pulled you off of star search. you had to earn it. both of you certainly did that. >> oh, absolutely. i remember when aretha first joined columbia records. they had her recording something that was so completely out of what we now know as aretha franklin's sound. but i thought she was doing a great job at it, as a matter of

fact. you know, she's always had the ability to just adjust to whatever the situation happened to have been. especially musically. she is iconic in every single field of music. my special memory of her will always be a gospel feel. >> you know, she's been called -- you know aretha. she's been called a diva. she would let you know how she felt. what do you say to that? >> i think that's what made her aretha, you know. i don't think it would be fair to people to not be who you are. one way was one way, and the next time they saw you was another one. she had that what you see is what you get attitude.

that's what aretha was all about. i know everybody heard about whatever it was that aretha supposedly and i was going through at one time, which i felt was, well, aretha is being aretha. so i just didn't dignify it, because i'm sure she would never have dignified it. so that has passed. no ill thoughts or memories about that for me. >> well, i'm glad that you guys -- listen, with friends and loved ones, you have ups and downs, agreements and disagreements. but for me, she meant so much to my family and to my mother and to people of your generation. you guys passed so much on to us. talk to us about the legacy she

will and people like her leaves behind for us, especially the  civil rights movement until now. what can we learn from her? >> i think first of all, there was only one aretha. there will only be one aretha. there will never be another one. she had something that god gave only to her. you know, i knew her very, very well. with the fact that sweet inspirations traveled with her, opening her shows, i got to know her even better. she's basically considered part of our family. it was that closeness we all had together. her legacy will be her music, of course, but her consistency of being available to do what she

had to do, when she had to do it, why, and for whom. and she will be missed. god knows she'll be missed. that's for sure. >> absolutely. >> and you know, i'll miss her singing a song that became a favorite of mine when i first met her, when she was on the road with her father, singing before he preached. that song will always live with me regarding who and what aretha is. a song called "never grow old." >> no, "never grow old," yes. >> that was my song with regard to when i think of aretha. i think of "never grow old." she did many of my recordings. >> she did. "say a little prayer." miss warwick, i know you're off to brazil. listen, you handle your business, and we thank you for

calling in to pay tribute to your friend, legend aretha franklin. thank you, miss warwick. >> absolutely. and my sincere condolences to the family. absolutely. >> absolutely. john king, you heard dionne warwick. "say a little prayer," originally recorded by dionne warwick. aretha did it as well. you heard her say they recorded a number of different songs together. they were friends. these are people who really came up through the ranks. there it is. "say a little prayer." >> it is a day to say a little prayer, both in sadness and in celebration. great listening to you, don, your stories. you heard van jones earlier. she was a queen. she didn't have to be nice to the little people, but her support for people -- i don't mean to call you a little person. but in the context of aretha franklin, her support for checking in, giving you encouragement, that tells you

about the woman -- obviously incredibly talented woman. that tells me more about the human being than the musician. remarkable to hear about the grace there. thank you so much for sharing, don. can't say enough thanks to you on this day. >> thank you, john. >> as we go to break, we'll continue our coverage of this story. you've heard it throughout the hour. aretha franklin, a show stopper. here's shonda rhimes on twitter, noting today how she stopped inner if pavarotti. her performance nothing short of stunning. ♪ ♪ ♪ in my heart my secret lies ♪

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the american consciousness will no doubt carry on well into the future. npr's ann powers writing of franklin, saying, no one better expressed american joy, gospel, soul, rock, r&b, jazz. her diskography touched on every genre we consider distinctly american. that you knunique bravado break boundaries throughout her career. the apollo theater home to aretha franklin. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. there are fans coming by. there is a plaque in front of the apollo theater with her name on it. of course, joining other greats like james brown and michael jackson, etta james. she's among all of those plaques. people taking pictures of them. of course, the marquee here, rest in peace, aretha franklin, queen of soul. the apollo did say they are going to have some sort of tribute to her, though that planning is still in the works. i got to tell you, john, it's

been amazing to talk to people here. she performed here over a dozen times, according to the director of the apollo theater, ever since the '60s. the last time she performed here in 2010. i talked to someone who actually said he listened to aretha franklin because his mother loved her, his father loved her. he grew up listening to her. when he had the chance to see her here at the apollo theater, he described it to me. he basically said he waited in a line that wrapped around the block here in harlem, finally got inside that theater. when the concert was about to start, he said aretha franklin, not even on the stage, backstage hit a note and the entire theater just went up crazy. he said it was mystical, magical. imagine that. only 1500 seats in the apollo theater. imagine hearing that note and not even seeing her in the flesh just yet. he was describing that to me. a lot of memories here people are expressing of aretha franklin being part of their childhood. another woman from poland said she's a musician, and she has so

much respect for aretha franklin. obviously her name we know global recognition. people not really mourning here but more rejoicing the fact she made an impact on their lives, john. >> reporter: brynn gingras outside the apollo theater. thank you. let's continue the conversation here. everybody knows the music. but maybe for younger folks or people who don't understand her history, the impact of the music, the impact of her and the music on american history. mark, your thoughts on this sad but important day. >> i mean, you cannot overstate aretha franklin's importance to black music, to american music, to global music. aretha franklin was a legend. she was a star from the 1960s on columbia records, where she took american standards and remade them and reshaped them into her own, to the point that other singers like etta james said we don't even want to touch them

anymore. to that moment in 1967 when she jumps on to atlantic records and makes a string of hits from "never loved a man" to "natural woman." she was the backdrop and sound track to the '70s. but it wasn't just the moouusic. it was also the culture. her clothes, her hair, the stands she took politically. aretha franklin really is an american original. there will never be another. >> and chris, before you jump n -- in, we played a little of "respect" from the 2000s. i want to go back and listen to "respect" from the '60s. >> woo. ♪ ♪

>> it is, chris richards, great music. but a young african-american woman in the 1960s singing "respect" is also a great and important message. >> absolutely. i mean, aretha franklin talked about soul music as if it was this idea of surfacing your humanity through melody. for a young black woman to be doing that at the molten core of the civil rights movement, we can't overestimate how important that was. she demanded to be a part of the conversation. her voice asked us to think. it demanded respect. it's resonant to this day. if we're talking about influence, she's probably the most influential singer of the 20th century. i'd say certainly the most pivot to -- pivotal. >> mark, you talked about this a moment ago. if aretha sang it, nobody, even the greatests, didn't want to do it again. how do you do this one at the inauguration in 2009?

♪ ♪ ♪ my country 'tis of thee sweet land of liberty ♪ ♪ of thee i sing ♪ land where my father died land of the pilgrims pride ♪ ♪ from every, every mountainside let free, freedom, freedom ring ♪ >> mark, again, when you listen to that, no disrespect to any

other performer, but how could you touch it? and again, just years later in her career but standing on the steps of the capitol, the inauguration of the first african-american president. just wow. >> yeah, wow is all you can say. again, many people have sung the national anthem masterfully, but no one did what aretha franklin did right there. her command of voice, her command of talent, her ear, but also how she understood the cultural moment. she knew how significant it was to have an african-american president. she was on her "a" game. in south africa, she was on her "a" game. at the grammy's stage filling in for pavarotti, she was on her "a" game. there's a before and after period when it comes to aretha franklin and american music. when you hear her sing "respect," you don't want to hear otis redding sing it again.

not because they're not all musical geniuses, but aretha did something really special. john, we have to add that we talk about aretha franklin as a voice, but it is important to understand that aretha franklin wasn't just a product of her father or the artistic product of a jerry wexler. she was a musical genius in her own right. she laid the vocals in the studio. she stood side by side with curtis mayfield to make that. she was a genius in all aspects of music. sometimes we don't appreciate how special she was. >> amen to that. and chris richards, i'll give you the last word in the sense we'll listen to her songs for years and years. where else do you see her in today's performers? where do you see the lineage, the history, the next, if you will, to try to follow aretha franklin? >> it's everywhere. i know it sounds hyperbolic, but her influence is so pervasive. when we talk about what good singing sounds like, we're talking about aretha franklin's

singing. you can hear it in a beyonce or mary j. blige or whitney houston or usher. i could keep naming names for the next two hours. her influence is like the air we breathe. it's almost cruel in a sense. what she did became such a part of american song, how we sing, how we listen. you hear it at your community talent show, whenever someone summons the bravery to take a roller coaster ride. it's wherever. >> chris richards, mark, appreciate your thoughts on this important day. the queen of soul remembered. here's aretha franklin performing at the kennedy center. ♪ ♪ ♪ job from any one else. why accept it from an allergy pill?

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♪ ♪ april 4th, 1968. there you see the widow coretta scott king, aretha franklin performing at funeral of martin luther king jr. the loss felt perhaps more than in most places, in the city of detroit. aretha franklin was their jewel.

aretha was an international music icon, an unmatched talent who deserved every bit of her status as the queen of soul. her legacy will continue to inspire and resonate in the souls of detroiters and her fans around the world. joining me now, the chairwoman and ceo of the mo totown museum. it's hard to do, but put aretha franklin in the context of your city, in the context of your museum. >> i think aretha franklin is simply -- you know, she's a part of our dna. there's no better way to say it. aretha franklin has represented the highest level of artistic achievement, excellence, community, activism, and you know, we're honored that detroit was home for her. so today our hearts are saddened because we feel like we lost a really important part of

ourselves. >> robin, i want you to stand by one second. my apologies here. as the tributes flow in from around the world, just moments ago at the white house, this from the president of the united states, donald trump. >> i want to begin today by expressing my condolences to the family of a person i knew well. she worked for me on numerous occasions. she was terrific. aretha franklin, on her passing. she's brought joy to millions of lives, and her extraordinary legacy will thrive and inspire many generations to come. she was given a great gift from god, her voice, and she used it well. people loved aretha. she's a special woman. i just want to pass on my warmest, best wishes and sympathies to her family. >> that's the president of the united states at the white house a short time ago. former president clinton, former president obama have also weighed in. robin terry, ceo of the motown museum. of course, no disrespect intended to any of the

presidents, what i've been struck by most is our -- the pastor at the church where her father ministered, where we first learned the grace of her. some of my colleagues here say aretha franklin would e-mail them or text them or call them. african-americans, young, coming up in the business, saying stay at it, i'm proud of your work. do we me thaiss that part of he? how do you decelebrated that pa, not just the music? >> i mean, people come to the museum from all over the world. it is -- you know, part of what was so endearing about aretha franklin is she was this iconic celebrity but at the same time never lost her common touch. so for detroiters, you know, she was that girl around the corner. she was just part of the neighborhood, an important part of the community. >> to that point about her wanting to keep her roots in the community, wanting to help the community, she performed at your

20th anniversary at the motown museum. tell us about that. >> she did. i mean, many people thought that aretha franklin, and rightly, so was a part of -- was signed to motown. she was never signed to motown records. but she was absolutely a part of the motown family and participated in many of the festivities that we do at motown museum because that was -- that's family to her. people like smokey robinson, the temptations, those were her brothers. so for us to honor her and to mourn her as the rest of the world, is only appropriate. >> and what will the museum do to be part of that remembrance? >> so we will be playing aretha's music all weekend. people come from all over the world. we will be celebrating her life, her legacy by playing her music. visitors will have an opportunity to write their own

memories and notes of condolence to the family. and we will make that book of all of those comments from all over the world available to her family. >> let me ask you a personal question. what did aretha franklin mean to you? >> oh, my gosh. again, as motown, or detroit, royalty and music royalty, i think she encourages everyone, and myself included, just to strive for excellence, to strive to be the best. >> robin terry, ceo of the motown museum, appreciate your thoughts today. best of luck as you try to remember this remarkable woman, icon of your city, icon of the country, icon of global music. thanks for joining us for this hour of "inside politics." we appreciate your patience as we deal with this breaking news. jim sciutto is in today for wolf blitzer. he picks up coverage after this break. as we go to break, a little more aretha.

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itthat's why i lovel the daily fiber wfiber choice,ood alone. with the fiber found in many fruits and vegetables. fiber choice. the number one ge recommended chewable prebiotic fiber. hello. i'm jim sciutto in for wolf blitzer. wherever you're watching from around the world, thank you so much for joining us today. sad news today. aretha franklin, a titan of music, the undisputed queen of soul, is gone. ♪ ♪