Following the death of the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, after her battle with pancreatic cancer, celebrities and important personalities flew to Detroit for her funeral service fit for a queen. The Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple was packed on Friday to celebrate the life, legacy and music of Ms Franklin.
It was a moment of sadness infused with a bit of joy for an impactful life well lived. For the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an 18-time Grammys Award winner and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award holder, her funeral service was worthy of her person – her family and former president, Clinton, made sure of this.
Singers like Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, the Clark Sisters, Chaka Khan, Faith Hill and Stevie Wonder gave electrifying performances and brought the funeral goers to their feet.
Besides the musical tributes, there were spoken tributes by religious leaders and political figures. Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson paid their respects and offered kind words to the legend’s family. The former president wasn’t left out in the expressions of love as he shared a story recalling the last time he saw Franklin and how she fondly greeted him, saying “how are you, baby”.
Although it was a star-studded event, the attention never deviated or shifted from the reason for the gathering. There was one goal – to pay respect to the queen of soul.