Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson and more to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin at funeral service
Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson and Faith Hill are among the star-studded lineup scheduled to perform at a private funeral for Aretha Franklin next week.
The funeral service for the Queen of Soul will be held on Aug. 31 at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, Mich. Also slated to perform are Ronald Isley, Chaka Khan, Fantasia and Jennifer Holliday, according to Franklin's longtime publicist Gwendolyn Quinn.
The service will also honor Franklin's gospel roots, with performances from gospel stars Yolanda Adams, The Clark Sisters, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Bishop Marvin Sapp and The Williams Brothers.
The Rev. Jasper Williams Jr., the pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., will deliver the eulogy. Franklin’s son Edward Franklin, the Aretha Franklin Orchestra and the Aretha Franklin Celebration Choir are also in the lineup.
The service will be limited to family, friends, dignitaries and special guests. But the day before, on Aug. 30, a public memorial and tribute concert will be held at the Chene Park Amphitheatre in Detroit. The Four Tops, Gladys Knight and Johnny Gill are among the artists expected to perform.
Franklin, 76, died Aug. 16 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She passed away at her home in Detroit, "surrounded by family and loved ones," her family said via a statement from Quinn.
Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul's career
The legendary diva's life and career in pictures.
Known simply by her first name, Franklin was a cultural icon whose career spanned six decades and traversed different genres of music, from gospel to R&B to pop to opera. She earned 18 Grammy Awards throughout her career as well as Grammy lifetime achievement and living legend awards. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and was the first female inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
