Aretha Franklin Wins Pulitzer Prize For Her “Contribution to American Music”

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Franklin is the first woman to win a Special Citation Pulitzer.

On Monday, April 15th, the 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced. The big surprise was that Aretha Franklin, who passed away in August, won a Pulitzer Prize. This comes a year after Kendrick Lamar won the award for his landmark DAMN. album.

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Franklin was honored with a Special Citation Pulitzer. She is the first woman to earn a Special Citation award. (The prize first awarded in 1930.) The last time someone won a Special Citation was when country music legend Hank Williams won it in 2010.

Congratulations to @ArethaFranklin and her family and friends. #Pulitzer #QueenOfSoul #Respect pic.twitter.com/SRdwncE5UI

— The Pulitzer Prizes (@PulitzerPrizes) April 15, 2019

READ: From Yasiin Bey To Outkast: 10 Rap Songs That Sampled Aretha Franklin

Pulitzer says they awarded Franklin for her “contributions to American music and culture.”

H/T: Pitchfork