Aretha Franklin will be laid to rest on Friday, and those looking to watch a livestream of the Queen of Soul’s funeral will be in luck.
The legendary singer passed away earlier this month after a battle with cancer, setting off two weeks of tributes from musicians, politicians, and celebrities worldwide who celebrated her larger-than-life impact on the world of music. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported, her funeral is set to be a star-studded event with performances from the likes of Stevie Wonder and remarks from former President Bill Clinton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and music legend Smokey Robinson.
Aretha Franklin’s funeral will take place on Friday starting at 10 a.m. ET. A link to the livestream video can be found below.
The memorial services for Aretha Franklin have stretched across the week, with her body laying in repose in Detroit for several days before she is finally laid to rest on Friday. The Queen of Soul even made two wardrobe changes, appearing the first day in her casket wearing a red dress and shoes and changing into a bright blue dress for the second day her body was displayed for members of the public to pay their final respects.
Aretha Franklin’s funeral is going to be a star-studded event https://t.co/Ra5P5gnsVF pic.twitter.com/1lt7M6SYqM
— Page Six (@PageSix) August 31, 2018
Those who watch the livestream will see some fitting tributes to Aretha Franklin. A report from CNN noted that there will be dozens of pink Cadillacs lining the street
“The display is being organized by Crisette Ellis, whose husband, Bishop Charles H. Ellis III, serves as pastor at the Greater Grace Temple, where the funeral will be held,” the report noted. “While the tribute is an apparent reference to the song that won Franklin her 12th Grammy (and its artwork, which features the singer in a pink Cadillac), Ellis told NPR that the idea was inspired by the way police line up their vehicles to honor fallen officers.”
“We going riding on the freeway of love Wind’s against our back We riding on the freeway of love In my pink Cadillac” #ArethaQueenForever https://t.co/MGlRtDDFxd
— Kristie Lu Stout?? (@klustout) August 31, 2018
Aretha Franklin’s funeral will also pay tribute to her impact on the world of music, with performances from Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, and Ariana Grande.
But Ellis also cautioned against those looking to watch Aretha Franklin’s funeral and expecting to see a concert or a celebrity spectacle.
“It is my goal and my aim to ensure that people leave here with some kind of spiritual awakening,” Ellis said.
“This is not a concert, this is not a show, this is not an awards production. This is a real life that has been lived, that a person regardless of how famous she became no matter how many people she touched around the world, she still could not escape death. And hopefully, a lot of people here with money and fame and influence and friends and notoriety and wealth, hopefully they will think of their mortality and say there is something bigger than fame, there is something bigger than Hollywood, something bigger than being a recording artist and selling gold albums or what have you.”
The livestream video of Aretha Franklin’s funeral can be found in the embedded link above.
