It was an emotional service in Detroit for the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and the Clintons were all in attendance. Bill Clinton spoke (watch above) about the love he and Hillary had for the singer saying, “We started out not as a President and First Lady, Senator, Secretary of State, we started out as like Aretha groupies or something.”
One of the most memorable moments came as Reverend Al Sharpton referenced a comment Donald Trump made about Franklin after her death (Trump said Franklin worked for him on numerous occasions). Sharpton received a standing ovation as he said, “Aretha never took orders from nobody but God.”
Rev. Al Sharpton at Aretha Franklin's funeral: "When word went out that Ms. Franklin passed, Trump said she used to work for me. No, she used to perform for you. She worked for us." https://t.co/qSW5iZgtqR pic.twitter.com/QrvJrR4kw3
— ABC News (@ABC) August 31, 2018
Another big moment came as Arianna Grande performed Franklin’s hit “A Natural Woman.”
Ariana Grande pays a musical tribute to Aretha Franklin, singing the Queen of Soul's hit (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
Follow the star-studded funeral on our live blog https://t.co/0QHRExB5Wc pic.twitter.com/G1htH8hN4J
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 31, 2018
Faith Hill also paid tribute to Franklin singing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”
Faith Hill sings, remembers her icon Aretha Franklin at her funeral https://t.co/n9OUqB5tPs
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) August 31, 2018
During the ceremony, Detroit’s Mayor announced that Chene Park, along the Detroit river, will now be known as Aretha Franklin Park (pending approval by the City Council).
Franklin died August 16th at the age of 76.
