Faith Hill, Stevie Wonder Among Stars to Perform at Aretha Franklin’s Funeral
The funeral will take place in Detroit.
A wide range of singers have been invited to perform at Aretha Franklin’s funeral, and among them is Faith Hill. The country singer will pay homage to the Queen of Soul during a Celebration of Life ceremony in Detroit on Aug. 31.
Stevie Wonder, Ron Isley, Chaka Khan, Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson are also slated to honor the late icon. Additional performances by Yolanda Adams, Pastor Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters, Jennifer Holliday, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard, Bishop Marvin Sapp, The Williams Brothers, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, classical artist Audrey DuBois Harris, soprano Alice McAllister Tillman, Franklin’s son Edward Franklin, the Aretha Franklin Orchestra and the Aretha Franklin Celebration Choir will all be part of the ceremony.
Hill has been a longtime fan of the late singer, who passed away on Aug. 16 at the age of 76 from advanced pancreatic cancer. During her “Soul2Soul World” tour with Tim McGraw, the couple would open the show with “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),” Franklin’s 1987 duet with George Michael.
These three Aretha albums you must listen to now. Listen to these over and over.
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She also previously covered “Dr. Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business)” during her 2012-2013 Las Vegas residency show.
Upon learning of Franklin’s passing, Hill shared a photo of the two, writing “The choir of angels now have the greatest voice of all time to lead, praise and join in to sing before Jesus,” Hill wrote. “I wanted to share this photo because it shows just how soulful Aretha was without uttering a word. To say I was humbled to be in her presence would be an understatement.”
Fans hoping to pay respects to the singer can visit during several public viewings. A tribute concert will also be held on Aug. 30 at Chene Park, with performers being announced at a later date.
Throughout the course of her career, Franklin won 18 GRAMMY Awards and become the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was also awarded the country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2005 from President George W. Bush.
