The world of music paid tribute to the Queen of Soul at Aretha Franklin's "Celebration Of Life"
The world said goodbye to soul legend Aretha Franklin today, with people across the planet mourning her death, and multitudes flocking to Detroit for an eight-hour “Celebration Of Life” that saw some of the biggest names in entertainment and culture pay tribute to the Queen Of Soul. Speakers at today’s proceedings included Bill Clinton, Tyler Perry, Al Sharpton (who read a letter from Barack Obama), and many more. But while those speeches were impassioned and thoughtful, Franklin’s life was about the music, and so we’d like to highlight the musical tributes offered up to her as well, from people ranging from Ariana Grande to Stevie Wonder, who closed out the day’s proceedings with a performance of “As.”
For those who missed the various livestreams of today’s events, we’ve put together a round-up of those musical tributes, allowing you to watch most of the performances in a single place.
To start with, here’s Faith Hill, opening the ceremony with “What A Friend We Have In Jesus”:
Next, Grande singing Franklin’s hit “Natural Woman”:
Here’s gospel singers The Clark Sisters:
And The Williams Brothers, with Vanessa Bell Armstrong:
Here’s Chaka Khan, performing “Goin’ Up Yonder”:
And Fantasia Barrino:
Jennifer Hudson—who’s signed on to play Franklin in an upcoming biopic—offered up a version of “Amazing Grace”:
And Wonder closed out the day, giving a heartfelt tribute to his friend: