Who Was Alive

Were Aretha Franklin and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Aretha Franklin and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 57 years, from 1961 to 2018.

Aretha Franklin was 19 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 57 when Aretha Franklin died, aged 76.

Aretha Franklin

American singer, songwriter, and pianist

Born 25 March 1942 · died 16 August 2018, aged 76

Barack Obama

44th President of the United States

Born 4 August 1961 · living, 65 as of September 2026

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Adolf Hitler
  3. Ronald Reagan
  4. Nelson Mandela
  5. Aretha Franklin
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Aretha Franklin and Barack Obama in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.