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NEW YORK. Deep in the heart of Motown, a who’s who of musical luminaries and political dignitaries gave Aretha Franklin a funeral service worthy of the Queen of Soul.
Franklin, who died on August 16 at the age of 76 from pancreatic cancer, is being honored Friday with an invitation-only service at Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple Church for family and friends, capping a weeklong celebration of the late soul singer’s life in her hometown.
Some open seats inside the church were made available to the public shortly before the service started.
The first sign that the funeral would be a regal affair was a procession of dozens of pink Cadillacs in the street leading to the church – an homage to the vehicle at the center of the lyrics and video for Franklin’s ’80s hit “Freeway of Love.”
In his opening prayer, Dr E. L Branch, the pastor for the Third New Hope Church, hailed Franklin, “who touched so many from popes and presidents, even to the least and the last.”
Proof of that was on display yesterday, as former President Bill Clinton was among the speakers set to deliver remembrances of the musical icon. Letters from two other presidents, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, were read out loud.
During his speech, Rev Al Sharpton put the focus not on Franklin’s music, but on her history as a civil rights activist who had performed for free earlier in her career to help raise money for Dr. Martin Luther King. The MSNBC host and contributor received a standing ovation when he called out President Trump for a ill-received tweet that suggested Franklin had “worked” for him.
“No, she used to perform for you, she used to work for us,” said Sharpton. “Aretha used to take orders from nobody but God.”
But music very much remained at the centre of the service. Country crooner Faith Hill kicked off the musical tributes with a rousing rendition of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” a gospel staple that Franklin covered in 1972.
A few minutes later, Ariana Grande, chipped in with a cover of one of her idol’s signature hits, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” And a performance by The William Brothers & Vanessa Bell spurred dancing in the aisles.
They were the opening acts for a star-studded list of scheduled performances to come by Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, and Ron Isley.
Also scheduled to speak later in the service were the Rev Jesse Jackson, filmmaker Tyler Perry. The eulogy was to be delivered by the pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Atlanta, the Rev Jasper Williams Jr.
Franklin may have been internationally renowned, but she was also locally beloved. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan told the crowd that the city would rename Chene Park – site of the amphitheater that hosted a tribute concert the night before – as Aretha Franklin Park. To make it official, the proclamation would be voted on by City Council next Tuesday.
The gold-plated casket carrying Franklin arrived at the church, with the processional beginning three hours later. The service was expected to run at least five hours.
“After all she gave to the world, I felt we needed to give her an appropriate send-off that would match her legacy,” Sabrina Owens, Franklin’s niece, told The Associated Press.
Franklin was also feted Thursday with an all-star concert in the amphitheatre that would soon be renamed in Franklin’s honor. Her fans got the chance to pay their respect with public viewings on Tuesday and Wednesday at the city’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Greater Grace Temple had a deep connection for Franklin: The “Natural Woman” crooner sang at the 2005 funeral for civil rights icon Rosa Parks. In a nod to that link, Franklin’s casket was ferried to the church in the same hearse that brought Parks there 13 years ago.
After the funeral service ended, Franklin was to be buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, where several family members, including her father, Rev C. L. Franklin, are interred. – NBC News
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