Motor City send-off for legend
Aretha Franklin’s funeral will be held in her home city of Detroit on August 31 after a two-day public viewing to allow fans to mourn.
Plans for the final farewell to the “Queen of Soul” – who died on Thursday following a battle with pancreatic cancer – started coming together last night.
Tributes poured in from around the world, and fans congregated at key sites in the city, the home of Motown.
The funeral at Greater Grace Temple – which seats about 4,000 people – will be limited to family, friends and invited guests, expected to range from music royalty to dignitaries from around the world.
On August 28 and 29, fans will be able to say a final farewell at an opencasket viewing at the Charles H Wright Museum of African-American History. The visitation will last 12 hours each day, according to Franklin’s publicist Gwendolyn Quinn.
The singer is to buried with other members of her family at Woodlawn Cemetery.
The days-long celebration of Franklin’s life is also expected to include a tribute concert, with details still to be announced.
The singer’s death prompted tributes and mourning from around the world, with former US President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and music superstars Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney among those honouring her.