Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Barack and Michelle Obama Just Posted Powerful Tributes to Aretha Franklin, and People Are Getting Emotional

Barack and Michelle Obama Just Posted Powerful Tributes to Aretha Franklin, and People Are Getting Emotional
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 27: US President Barack Obama fist bumps with singer Aretha Franklin who sung during a farwell ceremony for Attorney General Eric Holder at the Justice Department February 27, 2015 in Washington, DC. The ceremony was held to unveil the Attorney Generals official portrait and commemorate his tenure before his expected departure from the department after more than six years of service. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

We're not crying, you're crying.

Former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama tweeted touching tributes to soul legend Aretha Franklin, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 76 after battling pancreatic cancer.

"May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace."


The 44th president said Franklin, whose voice resonated behind the Civil Rights movement, "helped define the American experience."

"In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade—our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect," Obama wrote.

Obama also posted to Facebook.

"America has no royalty," the former president wrote. "But we do have a chance to earn something more enduring."

"She will forever be our Queen of Soul."

The former FLOTUS said listening to Franklin "made time stand still," and that she and her husband "are holding Aretha’s family in our hearts right now."

President Donald Trump also recognized Franklin's passing on Twitter.

A few hours later following a cabinet meeting, Trump managed to make Frankin's death about him, adding that Franklin had "worked for me on numerous occasions." Yes, really.

Twitter responded to the Obamas' tributes with reverence and grief.

"Please come back."

"This tweet is poetry. Both of your voices are missed."

"You are true class."

"And that fabulous hat!"

Here's how Hillary Clinton honored Franklin.

Replies to Trump, on the other hand, were far less cordial.

"Cold."

"You won't be missed." Ouch.

Oh, Donald.

Awkward.

More from People/donald-trump

Pam Bondi
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Photo Of Epstein Victims Standing Behind Pam Bondi As She Ignores Them Goes Viral—And It's One For The History Books

Attorney General Pam Bondi's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee will now forever be associated with a viral photo captured by Getty Images photographer Roberto Schmidt showing several victims of the late financier, sex trafficker, and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein raising their hands to signal that Bondi and the Justice Department had ignored their accounts.

Democrats repeatedly pressed Bondi over what they described as her dismissive posture toward the crimes of Epstein and the influential figures named in recently released files.

Keep ReadingShow less
Margot Robbie attends the "Wuthering Heights" Australian Premiere at State Theatre in Sydney, Australia.
Don Arnold/WireImage via Getty Images

Fans Horrified After Margot Robbie Reveals Weight-Shaming 'Gift' She Once Got From Male Costar

Margot Robbie is reflecting on a moment from early in her career that still stings.

The Australian actor and producer appeared on Complex’s GOAT Talk series on February 9, where she sat down with Charli XCX to discuss her career, romance films, and the worst gift she has ever received. What followed was a candid story about a male costar who handed her something that felt less like a present and more like a pointed message.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from Redditor Bulgingpants' Reddit post
u/Bulgingpants/Reddit

Restaurant Sparks Heated Debate After Adding Mandatory 20% No-Tipping Fee To Diners' Checks

Tipping culture is an incredibly divisive topic, leading people to question if customers and restaurant guests should be made responsible for the livelihood of those who serve them their meals at these establishments.

Redditor Bulgingpants added fuel to the fire when they shared a receipt in the "End Tipping" subReddit from a restaurant called Burdell in Oakland, California, remarking:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @hackedliving's TikTok video
@hackedliving/TikTok

Viral Video Of Delivery Robot Maneuvering Around Unhoused Man In Miami Is Honestly So Dystopian

Technology is here to make our lives more convenient and successful, but it has a chilling way of calling out problems that we're experiencing.

In a TikTok video recorded by TikToker @hackedliving, an delivery robot named "Akira" was seen rolling down a sidewalk in Miami, eyes blinking as it approached its destination.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Dawson's Creek' cast
Warner Bros./Getty Images

'Dawson's Creek' Stars Lead Poignant Tributes To James Van Der Beek After His Tragic Death At 48

After revealing to the public in November 2025 that he was battling colorectal cancer, James Van Der Beek passed away on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at the age of 48.

Fans became concerned last December about the severity of his condition when Van Der Beek was unable to appear at the Dawson's Creek reunion at New York's Richard Rodgers Theatre, due to having multiple illnesses at once because of his weakened immune system.

Keep ReadingShow less