show a while ago we spoke with entertainment journalist a k j matthews in los angeles she emphasized aretha franklin's religious roots. frankly came up in the church before she was seen before she did jazz before she did a little bit of classical music she was born and raised in a church her father was a pastor so you have to remember that that is her soul right here at the church so it's natural and fitting to have the ending of her life there in charge so you have a lot of people who want to praise and sing the praises but you know her music came about during a time that was very very difficult for african-americans here in this country during the civil rights era where it was very very hard to just even seeing in places that were at that one second many places that wanted to put her at the back of the bus or what her to seeing at the back of what you know a bar or restaurant was really that tough for a lot of african-americans in the country during that time and she really helped us to do her music her music really helped people who were on the front lines fighting cause and knowi

definitely a moment to remember in your career k j matthews in los angeles many thanks for talking to us. now as you can imagine tributes have been flowing in on social media from fans from politicians and from fellow musicians british singer elton john for instance tweeting this she sang and played magnificently and we all wept we were witnessing the greatest solo artist of all time i adored her and worship the talent god bless my condolences to all her family and friends we shared the same birthday and that meant so much to me there's also from fellow american singer diana ross i'm sitting in prayer for the wonderful spirit of retha franklin former president barack obama also a paying tribute retha help to find the american experience in her voice we could feel history all of it and in every shade our power and our pain our darkness into light our quest for redemption and a hard one respect may the queen of soul rest in eternal peace finally a veteran of the u.s. civil rights movement the reverend jesse jackson who knew aretha franklin for the last sixty years he was reportedly at h