It's the day the legends died.
Three giants of American pop culture — queen of soul Aretha Franklin, sultan of swat Babe Ruth and king of rock 'n' roll Elvis Presley — were summoned to the royal court of immortality on this day in history, August 16: Franklin in 2018, Ruth in 1948 and Presley in 1977.
Franklin and Presley were arguably the greatest female and male voices in the history of modern music.
Ruth remains perhaps the most celebrated athlete in American sport.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, AUGUST 1, 1942, JERRY GARCIA, MASTER OF AMERICAN SONG, WAS BORN IN SAN FRANCISCO
Each of them remains a larger-than-life figure long after their deaths on August 16.
Franklin (1942-2018) sold more than 75 million records worldwide and topped Rolling Stone magazine's list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” in 2008.
August 16 is the day these three legends passed away. American icons Aretha Franklin (1942-2018), Babe Ruth (1895-1948) and Elvis Presley (1935-1977), three giants of American pop culture, all passed away on the same date. (NBC/Getty; MPI/Getty; Archive Photos/Getty)
“You know a force from heaven,” raved diva Mary J. Blige in Rolling Stone magazine's profile of the best singers.
“You know it's something God made. And Aretha is a gift from God.”
Franklin is best remembered for her hits “Respect”, “Chain of Fools” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”.
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That trio of melodies alone is part of the catalog of the best American music.
Together they demonstrated Franklin's impressive vocal power and her ability to express a wide range of emotions that captured the female experience.
He died at the age of 76 after an eight-year battle with cancer.
Aretha Franklin performs onstage at the Park West Auditorium in Chicago, Illinois on March 23, 1992. (Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
The sudden death of Presley (1935-1977) at his Graceland mansion in Memphis at age 42 sent shockwaves through global pop culture that still resonate today.
He placed 109 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Guinness World Records recognizes him as the best-selling solo artist of all time, with more than 1 billion units sold worldwide, including 130 million sales in the U.S. alone.
Elvis also starred in 33 films.
“Elvis is the greatest cultural force of the 20th century,” famed composer Leonard Bernstein said of Presley.
“He introduced rhythm into everything and changed everything.”
Rock and roll musician Elvis Presley performs onstage on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on January 6, 1957, in New York City, NY. (Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
He was ranked number 3 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest singers of all time.
Among his notable performances were the number-one hit “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956, “Jailhouse Rock” in 1957, and “Suspicious Minds,” his final number-one song, which topped the charts in 1969.
Known throughout the world simply as Elvis, he also starred in 33 films and is seen around the world as a global symbol of the United States of America.
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George Herman “Babe” Ruth (1895-1948) dominated baseball, American sports in general, and national headlines like no other athlete before or since.
American baseball player Babe Ruth (1895-1948), born George Herman Ruth Jr., smokes a pipe while playing the piano as his wife, Helen Ruth (1897-1929), stands beside him in the 1910s. (Keystone Images/FPG/Getty)
He ruled baseball when it was the nation's most popular sport and did so with an uncommon, unapologetic bravado: a cheerful, hard-living personality off the diamond but dominant on it.
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Ruth was the best pitcher in baseball in his early years. He helped the Boston Red Sox win World Series in 1915, 1916 and 1918 before being purchased by the New York Yankees in 1920 and becoming the greatest hitter in the history of the sport.
Ruth led the American League in slugging percentage 13 times, home runs 12 times and walks 11 times, while leading the Yankees to World Series victories in 1923, 1927, 1928 and 1932.
Babe Ruth shocked the sports world by hitting a record 54 home runs in 1920, his first season with the Yankees.
His numbers are even more astonishing in the context of his time.
Ruth stunned the sports world by hitting a record 54 home runs in 1920, his first season with the Yankees. No other American League team hit more than 50 home runs that year.
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“Ruthian” remains a part of the American lexicon today, connoting an athletic achievement or set of statistics so monumental that they dwarf those around them and defy description.
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Ruth was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 1946.
He was only 53 when he died two years later.
