Photo Gallery

Aretha Franklin’s political impact: 11 photos of the Queen of Soul

Singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin, who died Thursday at the age of 76, had a career spanning more than six decades that took her around the world and, on many occasions, into Washington and the White House. She ushered in Barack Obama’s presidency in 2009 by singing at his inauguration and appeared and sang at a number of D.C. events, including the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony. Previous presidents also met and acknowledged Franklin’s contributions to the music industry, bestowing honors that included the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a National Medal of Arts and Humanities Award. Here’s a look back at some of those moments.