How Aretha Franklin Rose from her Struggles to Become the ‘Queen of Soul’

Aretha Franklin’s voice is recognized by millions, but her personal story remains less well known—by her own choice. In her 1999 memoir, From These Roots, the Queen of Soul opted to keep many of her life’s hardships private.

The book largely omits details about pivotal and painful moments, including the loss of her mother when she was just 10, her pregnancy at 12, her first marriage, and reported struggles with alcohol.

A talented singer and pianist, Aretha Franklin began her musical journey touring with her father’s travelling revival show before moving to New York, where she signed with Columbia Records.

She went on to release several hit songs, many of which are now considered timeless classics. In 1987, Franklin made history as the first female artist inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Her legacy continued to grow, and by 2008, she had earned her 18th Grammy Award, cementing her status as one of the most celebrated artists in Grammy history.

Below is the list of her struggles

Her Parent’s Spilt

Aretha Franklin’s childhood, as she presented it, left out the complexities of her parents’ turbulent marriage. Her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, was a nationally known Baptist preacher and civil rights activist, but his personal life was far from conventional.

According to his biography, Singing in a Strange Land, C.L. impregnated a teenage church member despite his religious position. Meanwhile, Franklin’s mother, Barbara, had a child with another man—Aretha’s half-brother Vaughn.

In 1948, when Aretha was six, Barbara left Detroit and moved to Buffalo, New York, taking Vaughn with her but leaving her other children behind with C.L. Franklin. The separation deeply affected the family. “We were all devastated,” Aretha’s sister Erma told biographer David Ritz.

She described their parents’ marriage as “stormy” and recalled their father’s well-known temper. She also acknowledged his reputation with women. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that we certainly knew about my father’s reputation as a ladies’ man. We saw how women in church literally threw themselves at him.”

Aretha herself later spoke on the subject in a 2018 interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, though she remained careful in her words. “I never discussed it with him, and he never discussed that sort of thing with his children,” she said.

“But as children, we could certainly see that women were kind of aggressively taking off behind him. He was single at the time, and sometimes you might see it with ladies sitting on the front row, skirts a little high, a little short—you know, when women are interested.”

Though the family continued visiting Barbara after she moved to Buffalo, the separation deeply affected Aretha. According to her brother Cecil in Respect, the move “broke Aretha’s little heart.” Her sister Carolyn echoed this sentiment, believing Aretha was impacted the most.

“Aretha was a severely shy and withdrawn child who was especially close to her mother,” Carolyn recalled. “Aretha and I shared a room, and after Mother left, I saw her cry her eyes out for days at a time… Days before those trips to see Mother, Aretha would have her little bag packed and be ready to go.”

Her Mother’s Death

When Aretha Franklin was just 10 years old, tragedy struck again—her mother, Barbara, died suddenly of a heart attack. In her memoir, From These Roots, Franklin refrained from delving into the depth of her grief, simply stating, “I cannot describe the pain, nor will I try.”

She recalled how, after returning from the funeral, she “sat in tears… for a long time.”

Those close to her, however, painted a more vivid picture of the profound impact the loss had on her. Aretha’s longtime booking agent, Ruth Bowen, shared her perspective with biographer David Ritz.

“She was a traumatized child,” Bowen said. “It’s one thing to have your mama move out of the house for reasons you don’t understand. But it’s another to have your mama die of a heart attack as a young woman… And it happened just like that—no preparation, no warning.”

Bowen added that Aretha’s father, C.L. Franklin, feared she might never recover. “She was unable to talk for weeks. She crawled into a shell and didn’t come out until many years later… Without the music, I’m not sure Aretha would have ever found her way out of the shell.”

Aretha’s Early Pregnancies

Aretha Franklin faced many challenges in her early years, but she rarely spoke about them in public. She had her first child, Clarence, when she was just 12 years old, giving birth two months before turning 13.

Franklin never revealed the father’s identity, but her brother Cecil once told biographer David Ritz that he was “just a guy [Aretha] knew from school” and that neither had strong feelings for each other.

In her memoir From These Roots, Franklin described her pregnancy as uneventful. Cecil also said their father, C.L. Franklin, wasn’t angry but warned his children about the consequences of sex.

After giving birth, Aretha dropped out of school, but instead of raising Clarence herself, her grandmother took care of him. Meanwhile, C.L. had her join his gospel tour, exposing her to an adult world while she was still very young. In Singing in a Strange Land, C.L.’s biographer, Nick Salvatore, wrote that touring forced Aretha to grow up fast. “She was a starstruck kid, a mother still figuring things out, and a young girl with shaky self-confidence.”

Ritz also reported that when Franklin was 12, she went to the motel room of singer Sam Cooke, who was 23 at the time. Franklin never spoke about what happened, but it raised questions about her early experiences in the music industry.

At 14, Franklin became pregnant again and gave birth to her second son, Eddie. Like Clarence, he took her last name and was mostly raised by her grandmother. In her memoir, Franklin suggested that her father accepted her second pregnancy, but Cecil disagreed, telling Ritz, “He wasn’t happy about it, and he made that very clear.”

The 2021 movie Respect avoided giving details about Franklin’s early pregnancies. One scene hints at possible childhood abuse when a male family friend enters her bedroom and closes the door. Later in the film, she is shown as an adult already raising two children. The filmmakers said they chose to respect Franklin’s privacy.

Screenwriter Tracey Scott Wilson explained to Vanity Fair, “The details of what happened aren’t as important as the fact that it was a traumatic experience, and a child cannot give consent.” Producer Harvey Mason Jr. added, “Every survivor of abuse should have the right to tell their own story when and how they want to.”

Aretha Franklin’s Troubled Marriage and Private Struggles

Aretha Franklin first met Ted White at a party in her family’s home in 1954 when she was just 12 years old. Years later, as a young single mother in her late teens, she married White and appointed him as her manager—despite strong objections from her father.

Many in the music industry were wary of White. In Respect, Etta James recalled, “Ted was supposed to be the slickest pimp in Detroit. When I learned that Aretha married him, I wasn’t surprised. A lot of the big-time singers we idolized as girls… had pimps for boyfriends and managers. Part of the lure was that they got us paid, they protected us, and they also beat us up.”

By 1968, Franklin was at the height of her fame, yet behind the scenes, her personal life was unraveling. A Time magazine cover story that year portrayed her as a commanding performer on stage but withdrawn in private.

The article hinted at her pain, quoting her as saying, “I’ve been hurt—hurt bad.” It also revealed that the previous year, White had assaulted Franklin in public at Atlanta’s Regency Hyatt House Hotel.

The magazine described White as a “former dabbler in Detroit real estate and a street-corner wheeler-dealer” who had gained power over Franklin’s career and life. Gospel legend Mahalia Jackson reportedly told Time, “I don’t think she’s happy. Somebody else is making her sing the blues.”

Fans also speculated about the meaning behind some of Franklin’s lyrics, particularly in songs like I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You):

“I don’t know why I let you do these things to me…”
“My friends keep telling me that you ain’t no good…”
“But oh, they don’t know that I’d leave you if I could…”

Franklin’s brother, Cecil, later confirmed to biographer David Ritz that White was physically abusive. “He was a violent cat whose violence only got worse. I felt like Aretha was singing Respect to Ted, but it hardly made any difference. He kept slapping her around and didn’t care who saw him do it.”

Etta James compared Franklin’s marriage to Tina Turner’s relationship with Ike Turner, saying, “Ike made Tina, no doubt about it. He developed her talent and got her famous. Of course, Ted White was not a performer, but he was savvy about the world.”

A Silent Battle with Alcohol

As Franklin’s marriage deteriorated, she reportedly turned to alcohol to cope. Her agent, Ruth Bowen, recalled seeing her drinking before performances. “She had a habit of getting loaded before a performance. In no way did that help her singing,” Bowen told Ritz.

Despite noticeable struggles, Franklin refused to acknowledge any issues with drinking. “Aretha was big on denial,” Bowen said. “It didn’t matter how many falls she suffered, how many tickets she got, how many subpar performances she gave due to inebriation.

Her talent protected her. Even drunk, she could sing better than ninety-nine out of a hundred singers. Most people couldn’t tell anything was wrong.”

Unlike other celebrities who later opened up about their struggles and earned public sympathy, Franklin never publicly addressed rumors of alcohol dependence. According to Ritz, she resisted being labeled a victim.

“She had a tough childhood,” Ritz told People in 2018 after Franklin’s passing. “And early on in her career, she was hit by the tabloids… there were stories of her being a victim of domestic violence and she didn’t like that. She didn’t like the image of her being a beaten woman. She loved the blues, but she didn’t want to be seen as a tragic blues figure.”

Franklin ultimately left White in 1969, but true to her fiercely private nature, she never spoke publicly about their troubled marriage. Instead, she let her music tell the story.