Aretha Franklin Complete Funeral Recap

The funeral for Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, who died of pancreatic cancer on Aug. 16, took place Friday at the Greater Grace Temple in her home city of Detroit, and it was a “homegoing” most definitely fit for a queen.

A gold-plated casket carrying the legendary singer arrived at the church around 7:45 a.m., with Franklin dressed in a sparkling gold gown and sequined heels for her final outfit. Hundreds of mourners gathered to get one last glimpse of the Grammy winner.

Aretha Franklin arrived in a 1940 Cadillac LaSalle hearse and there were more than 100 pink Cadillacs lined up out on Seven Mile. It’s a nod to her 1980s hit “Freeway of Love,” in which she sang, “We goin’ ridin’ on the freeway of love in my pink Cadillac.”

The pink Cadillacs are out on 7 Mile for Aretha Franklin.

There are more than 100 of them lined up outside Greater Grace for the Queen of Soul’s funeral.

They will go riding with the procession following services this afternoon. 

The singer’s granddaughter, Victorie Franklin, explained that listening to Aretha sing has always given her “the best feeling in the world.” It inspired Victorie to become a performer herself. “I love you grandma, and I will make you proud,” she said.

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Franklin “was a part of the movement that set this nation free.” Her voice, Holder said, was even more rare than once in a lifetime, that it’s something that never has and never will exist again. “Aretha Franklin made the world more beautiful and more understandable,” Holder said. “She comforted us and she inspired us. God sang through her.”

Former President Bill Clinton, who requested Franklin perform at both his inaugurations and other events, joked that he was ashamed at just how curious he was to see the fashionable ensemble chosen for Franklin’s body. “I said, ‘I wonder what my friend’s got on today,’” Clinton quipped, before lauding the singer for her compassion — “She cared about broken people” —  and her dedication to refining her talent.

“She worked her can off to get where she was,” said Clinton, who ended his tribute by playing Franklin’s rousing track “Think” on his phone and holding it up to the microphone.

The crowd jumped to its feet for Chaka Khan’s take on the gospel song “Goin’ Up Yonder,” which conspicuously featured a big blue folding fan. Then, Ron Isley slowed things down with another hymn, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.”

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LIST OF PERFORMERS:

Stevie Wonder

Faith Hill

Ariana Grande

Ronald Isley

Chaka Khan

Fantasia

Jennifer Hudson

Yolanda Adams

Shirley Caesar

The Clark Sisters

Jennifer Holliday 

Tasha Cobbs-Leonard

Marvin Sapp

The Williams Brothers

Vanessa Bell Armstrong

Audrey DuBois Harris

Alice McAllister Tillman

Edward Franklin

Aretha Franklin Orchestra

Aretha Franklin Celebration Choir

FULL MEMORIAL SERVICE