The Motor City is sending the Queen of Soul off in style.
Crowds have gathered at Detroit's Greater Grace Temple for the funeral of music legend Aretha Franklin, who died August 16 in Detroit at age 76.
Thousands of people have been paying respects to Franklin this week in her hometown, many of them pouring in from out of state and even abroad to say goodbye to one of the most influential women in music. On Tuesday and Wednesday, crowds lined up for several blocks to see Franklin's body lying in honour in the rotunda of the Charles Wright Museum of African American History.
On Thursday, the scene shifted to New Bethel Baptist Church, which for many years was pastored by Franklin's father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin. Thursday's viewing was designed for church members who were unable to attend the Wright Museum viewings. Again, crowds lined up for several blocks. The funeral is expected to be a musical, star-studded tribute to Franklin, with many musical acts scheduled to perform. According to WDIV-TV in Detroit, the roster of scheduled performers includes Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Fantasia, Shirley Caesar, Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Holliday, and Franklin's son Edward.
Scheduled guest speakers were to include former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, actress Cicely Tyson, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, and others.
The funeral was originally expected to include family, friends, and invited guests only, but the church opened up 1,000 seats for the general public on a first-come, first served basis.
Greater Grace Temple has been the scene of the funerals of several prominent Detroiters, including civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, and several Detroit police officers killed in the line of duty.
After the funeral Friday, Franklin's casket will be taken for burial at Detroit's Woodlawn Cemetery. Franklin's father and other family members are buried there, along with other influential Detroiters like Parks, Edsel Ford, department store magnate J.L. Hudson, plus former Detroit Mayors Hazen Pingree and Albert Cobo. Also at the cemetery is a British Commonwealth war grave memorializing a Canadian private who died in the First World War.
Meanwhile, tributes to Franklin continue to pour in from around the world. In London, England, the Welsh Guards played Franklin's signature tune "Respect" outside Buckingham Palace, prior to the routine Changing of the Guard.
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