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Aretha Franklin Laid To Rest In Outfit Fit For A Queen, A Sparkling Full-Length Gold Dress And Sequined Heels

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 03:18 PST, Aug 31, 2018

Aretha Franklin was laid to rest in an outfit fitting for the Queen of Soul.

After a series of wardrobe changes for the departed singer as her body laid in repose in Detroit, she was dressed in a bright gold dress and sequined heels for her burial on Friday. As the Associated Press reported, Franklin’s final outfit was displayed for the public before her funeral took place.

“Mourners got a glimpse of the Queen of Soul before her funeral Friday during an open casket viewing at the Greater Grace Temple,” the report noted. “The gold dress is the fourth outfit Franklin has worn during a week of events leading up to her funeral.”

The report noted that Franklin was dressed in a full-length red dress for her first public viewing on Tuesday, and made a wardrobe change into a baby blue dress the following day. Her body was on display in her native Detroit, drawing thousands of fans to pay their respects.

Aretha Franklin had quite the send-off this week. She was laid to rest in a shining gold casket, nearly identical to the caskets in which fellow music legends Michael Jackson and James Brown were laid to rest. Her Friday funeral also included a motorcade of pink Cadillacs, an idea that came from Crisette Ellis, the wife of the pastor at Greater Grace Temple Charles Ellis III in Detroit, where her funeral took place.

Ellis said the idea came from the police motorcades that accompany funerals of fallen officers.

“My husband said, ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could have a sea of pink Cadillacs parked on Seven Mile Road to greet Ms. Aretha Franklin as she arrives?’ ” she told NPR.

But Charles Ellis III noted that Aretha Frankin’s funeral would not be a concert or a spectacle, but instead a “spiritual awakening” befitting to honor the life of the music legend. The event itself was also livestreamed online and expected to draw millions of viewers.

Aretha Franklin’s funeral drew dignitaries from across the globe, with remarks from Bill Clinton and her longtime friend, Smokey Robinson. There were also performances from Jennifer Hudson and Ariana Grande.

But much of the attention on Friday was on the final outfit Aretha Franklin wore before being laid to rest. The legendary singer’s name and dress were trending across social media, and pictures of her funeral service drew viral attention.

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