In the very unlikely event that you don’t know why she was called the “Queen of Soul,” just watch the YouTube video of her 2015 Kennedy Center Honors program performance. It will tell you everything you need to know.
I write today to warn everyone that dark days lie ahead for those of us who are over, say, fifty. While far too many of the great sixties artists died young, most of them (somehow!) didn’t; McCartney, Dylan, Jagger, Richards, Townshend, Daltrey, Stevie, and Smokey are still with us. That isn’t going to last much longer, and the world will be infinitely poorer for it. Get ready, and enjoy them while you still can.