Formed her first group, the Crystalettes, with her sister Yvonne in 1964
Changed her name to Chaka Adunne Aduffe Yemoja Hodarhi Karifi at age 16 at a Yoruba religious ceremony
Established the Chaka Khan Foundation, which addresses issues of domestic violence and youth education, in 1999
Received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Boston's Berklee College of Music in 2004
Created her own line of gourmet chocolates, called Chakalates; proceeds finance her charitable foundation
Made her Broadway debut in 2008 in the stage adaptation of The Color Purple
At the time she got the Broadway role, she was asked by the New York Times about her interest in Scientology; she replied that while she'd studied it, she was, instead, a member of "the religion of the Church of Chaka Khan
" Received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2011
She performed her enduring hit from her days with Rufus, "Tell Me Something Good," with Stevie Wonder to mark the occasion
Her band, Rufus With Chaka Khan, received a 2012 nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame