'Way More' Than The 'Queen Of Soul': Aretha Franklin's Stepdaughter Remembers Growing Up With Icon

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul," sang for presidents and royalty and befriended high profile leaders. She sang at President Barack Obama's inauguration Jan. 20, 2009.

"She was more than the 'Queen of Soul,' way more," Stephanie Turman said.

Aretha Franklin was Stephanie Turman's stepmother.

"When she and my dad began dating, we were all family from the very beginning," Turman said.

Actor Glynn Turman was married to Franklin from 1978 until 1984. He and Stephanie saw the singer earlier this week for the last time at her home in Detroit.

"We were just at her bedside on Tuesday before she passed away. I got to say goodbye and to tell her what a great stepmother she was to my brothers and I. That meant a lot to me," Stephanie said.

Stephanie was a teenager when her father married Franklin. Along with her two brothers, they all lived together in California.

"I remember she and my father got his and her bicycles. They decided they were going to ride through the community. We lived in Encino, California, so the Jacksons were our neighbors, so we could ride through our community and see just about any celebrity you wanted," Stephanie said.

And often times after those bike rides, the family would pose for pictures. Stephanie shared some of those photos with KDKA-TV.

"Wow, I got a chance to live with one of the biggest icons in the world. She was my stepmother and she touched so many lives. I would come home from school, and she and Luther Vandross would be sitting at the piano and singing. I would walk home to stuff like that," Stephanie said.

Stephanie says Franklin helped to raise her, making her the woman she is today and for that she is forever grateful.