'The Voice Of A Century': Michael Eric Dyson Looks Back On Aretha Franklin's Life

The world is mourning the loss of Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul died August 16 at the age of 76 from pancreatic cancer. Though her influence was felt throughout music, a critical part of her legacy lies in gospel, where she got her start. Author Michael Eric Dyson, who knew Franklin for 15 years and wrote an op-ed in The New York Times titled "The Church of Aretha Franklin," notes that Franklin had the "voice of a century." "There have been many popes. Ain't but one Aretha Franklin," Dyson says, remembering the day that he saw the icon perform for the pontiff in Philadelphia back in 2015.