Fans mourn the Queen of Soul in Detroit
DETROIT — The regal presence Aretha Franklin exuded in life was captured at her viewing on Tuesday, with the late Queen of Soul in a gold-plated casket dressed completely in red, including high-heeled pumps, proving, as one person put it, that she was a “diva to the end.”
As Ms. Franklin’s powerful vocals from classic gospel performances were piped through the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer looked as if she was preparing for one more performance. She wore earrings, red lipstick and red nail polish, and her hair was cut short. Her dress — with its ornamental elements and sheer netting fabric — was reminiscent of an outfit she would wear onstage and “something she would have selected for herself,” her niece, Sabrina Owens, told The Associated Press.
Mourners poured into the museum to pay their final respects to Ms. Franklin, who died Aug. 16 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. The two-day viewing was part of a week of commemorations for the legend, who will be laid to rest Friday.
The Wright Museum is a cultural landmark in Detroit, where Ms. Franklin grew up and spent most of her life. Museum board member Kelly Major Green said the goal was to create a dignified and respectful environment akin to a church, the place where Ms. Franklin got her start.
“What we wanted to do is be reflective of the Queen,” Ms. Green said.
Fla. primary results
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum won the Democratic primary for Florida governor Tuesday, pulling off an upset against better- funded and betterknown candidates on his quest to become the state’s first black governor.
Mr. Gillum will face GOP nominee U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis in November to replace Republican Gov. Rick Scott. Mr. DeSantis sailed to victory in the Republican primary, defeating a longtime favorite of the GOP establishment with a campaign based largely around the President Donald Trump.
Mr. Gillum, 39, spent the least of the five major candidates in his primary race and had the smallest television presence.
Also in the nation ...
During his confirmation hearings scheduled to begin next Tuesday, Democrats plan to grill Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about his frequent support for giving the U.S. government wide latitude in the name of national security, including the secret collection of personal data from Americans. ... Federal judges on Monday affirmed their earlier decision striking North Carolina’s congressional districts as unconstitutional because Republicans drew them with excessive partisanship. ... President Donald Trump warned evangelical leaders Monday night that Democrats “will overturn everything that we’ve done and they’ll do it quickly and violently” if Republicans lose control of Congress in the midterm elections, according to an audiotape.