A friend close to the family says it is "heartbreaking." Showbiz411.com reports Aretha was originally diagnosed with cancer eight years ago. Friends and family say she's bravely battled the disease and "refused to be knocked out" by illness.

The Queen of Soul canceled concerts earlier this year after she was ordered by her doctor to stay off the road and rest up. Showbizz411 says her last performance was for the Elton John AIDS Foundation in November 2017.

Her last public performance was in Philadelphia in August of 2017. "It was a miraculous show as Aretha was already then fighting exhaustion and dehydration," Showbiz411 reporter Roger Friedman wrote.

"Aretha is surrounded by family and people close to her. She will be so missed as a mother, sister, friend, cousin. But her legacy is larger than life. It's not just that Rolling Stone called her the number 1 singer of all time, or that she is the Queen of Soul. Long live the Queen," he concluded in the article posted last night.

(Story is developing, check back for more)

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