People worldwide are reacting to the sudden loss of Aretha Franklin. Many fans and musicians shared their heartfelt messages on social media. Other fans paid tribute by temporarily renaming the Franklin Street subway in honor of the Queen of Soul.
“ARETHA” was scrawled in white marker above “Franklin Street” signs on the 1 train platform on Thursday, while a set of stairs on the southbound side of the station were adorned with the message, “Aretha makes me feel like a natural woman.”
While some people like Madison Kalson praised the dope tribute, others were aware that it was vandalism.
“I work in Times Square and I had to come down to see,” said Kalson, 23, who saw the acts of admiration for the 76-year-old singer on Instagram. “I saw yesterday that she was sick and I was really sad about it. The city just comes together in beautiful ways sometimes and this is a nice touch to show her some respect — pun intended.”
“If it’s a tribute to raise awareness of her life, I think it’s great. I think graffiti is a statement of art,” said Greta Anderson, 23. “It can be a form of vandalism, I understand that — it depends how the person intends it. This adds character to the city.”
