Aretha Franklin receives posthumous Pulitzer Prize for her musical and cultural contributions

American soul great Aretha Franklin received a posthumous 'Special Citation' Pulitzer Prize this week "her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades."

Franklin's award marks the first musical artist to receive a Pulitzer "Special Citation" award since 2010, when late country legend Hank Williams was awarded with the honor, and two years earlier, when it was given to singer Bob Dylan in 2008.

Other musicians who have been similarly acknowledged include John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin.

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Aretha died of complications from pancreatic cancer in August 2018. She was 76.

The prestigious Pulitzer Prize awards celebrate the best in journalism, literature and musical composition.