She was RAW talent, down to the bone. That's why I respect her so much. Aretha definitely was shady, and could be a mean woman at times. But overall, she was the real deal. I used to wonder why she got her ass kissed so much by the industry. One day, I sat down, put some good head phones on and listened to her 1972 Gospel live album, in full (the unedited version). Baaayybeee, it was like a spiritual roller-coaster. She had me shouting, screaming, crying and really thinking about my life in general. The way she would sang each syllable, stretched out every single word, and held on to those notes were incredible. That range, that power, that soul. Simply put, she was a musical genius. Aretha was more than just superficial high notes and technical BS. That lady sang from her soul, she knew how to tell the story and never sang a song the same way twice. You will definitely be missed, Aretha. And deserved every award, honor, tribute & ass-kissing the industry ever gave you. YOU were THAT talented... wait scratch that, you were GIFTED, period. RIP, you earned it.