Her Baptist minister father was the organiser behind the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom - the largest-ever demonstration for civil rights in the US until the March on Washington later that year, when the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr made his "I have a dream" speech.
King was a frequent guest in her father's home.
At 16 years of age, Franklin went on tour with him, just after recording her first album.
She would sing at King's funeral a decade later.
King's daughter, Dr Bernice King,
called Franklin a "shining example" of how to use the arts to support social change.
"As a daughter of the movement, she not only used her voice to entertain but to uplift and inspire generations through songs that have become anthems."
1967's Respect became the anthem of the civil rights campaign and the feminist movement. Franklin
told Elle magazine in 2016 she was "stunned" by its success.
"It was the right song at the right time," she said.
As she rose in popularity, Franklin did not abandon her sense of activism. She told Elle her contract in the 1960s included the clause that she would never perform for a segregated audience.
Civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson - who was Franklin's friend for over 60 years -
told USA Today she helped pay for many civil rights tours and campaigns while King was alive.
She held free concerts, housed activists and helped them fundraise. Jackson called her "an inspiration, not just an entertainer".
"She has shared her points of view from the stage for challenged people, to register to vote, to stand up for decency," he said.
How could you think I'm joking?
You mean to tell me, you can’t be pro black and date cacs?
as arguably the biggest MJ fan on here, this is crazy talk. 
look at his kids
you gotta condemn gays to be pro-black? Then what about black gays?