Last R.e.s.p.e.c.t.s
Political leaders and pop stars at Queen of Soul Aretha’s funeral
MOTOWN put on a show to say an emotional goodbye to its most famous daughter, Aretha Franklin.
An outpouring of love ran throughout the moving six-hour funeral in the Queen of Soul’s adopted home city of Detroit.
This was a farewell fit for royalty as thousands paid their respects.
There were politicians. There were singers. There were actors and actresses. There was family. And there were her fans.
Dozens of pink Cadillacs, in tribute to Aretha’s 1980s song Freeway Of Love, lined the streets as her coffin was brought to the Greater Grace Temple.
It arrived in a white Cadillac LaSalle, the same hearse that carried civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks as well as her father, legendary minister C.L. Franklin.
Inside the gold casket, Aretha — who died of pancreatic cancer on August 16 aged 76 — wore a gold dress with sequinned heels.
In the church lobby lay flowers from the likes of Tony Bennett, Barbra Strei- sand and Diana Ross. Bishop Charles H Ellis III, a family friend, told the packed congregation: “We will take the necessary time to honour this great woman.”
Ex-President Bill Clinton, the Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, plus singing legend Smokey Robinson spoke during the R.E.S.P.E.C.T singer’s send-off.
Sharpton said Aretha provided the “soundtrack to the civil rights movement”.
He read a tribute from former President Barack Obama saying: “Whether bringing people together through thrilling intersec- tions of genres or advancing important causes through the power of song, Aretha’s work reflected the very best of the American story.” Governor Rick Snyder said her voice was “considered a natural resource of the state of Michigan”. Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Shirley Caesar and Chaka Khan all gave performances. As Ariana sang A Natural Woman, mourners — including Whoopi Goldberg, boxer Tommy Hearns and ex-Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton — sang along. The funeral capped a week-long celebration of Aretha’s life. She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit alongside her dad and sisters, Carolyn and Erma.