(CLEVELAND) -- She was the first female inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, in the Rock Hall's second class, and she's had a connection to the museum through the years.
Aretha Franklin performed for the Music Masters series, paying tribute to Sam Cooke in 2005.
"She was great on the first night performing his pop tunes," says Jason Hanley, Vice President of Education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, "but, man, when she performed Sam Cooke's gospel music that second night. it really was an incredibly moving experience."
The Queen of Soul came back to the Rock Hall in 2011 for the Music Masters series featuring her own music after first performing at the Hall in 1996.
The Queen of Soul is also featured in the Power of Rock Film and she's part of the museum's exhibit on Gospel, where she got her start.
"There's actually a poster in there," says Hanley. "It features her father, the Reverend C.L. Franklin because he was such a famous preacher and it mentions that his daughter, Aretha Franklin, will be performing that day as part of the event as well as the Staple Singers."
And the mark she left on popular music is indelible.
"Aretha Franklin is really a true American treasure," says Hanley. "She's incredibly important to the history of Rock and Roll music."
© 2018 iHeartMedia Photo Courtesy Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
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