The funeral of "Queen of Souls" Aretha Franklin will be held on August 31 in a large church in his home town of Detroit, confirmed Friday his agent, while tribute to the legendary singer died on Thursday
In a career At the age of 60, the person named "Aretha" influenced several generations of artists through planetary tubes such as "Respect" (1967), "Natural Woman" (1968) or "I Say" "Little Prayer" (1968).
The city of Detroit, capital of the American car where the singer died on Thursday at the age of 76 after a long battle against cancer, is about to give back to her star a tribute over several days, at the level of the legend that it had become.
On August 28 and 29, his body would be on display from 9 am to 9 pm at the Charles Wright Museum, dedicated to the history of blacks, confirmed to AFP's Long-time Agent, Gwendolyn Quinn.
The funeral is planned for August 31 in the Greater Grace Temple, a large Pentecostal church in Detroit, where the burial took place of Rosa Parks, the woman in 1955 who challenged her Alabama a ban on blacks sitting in front of buses, and an icon the struggle for civil rights of black Americans.
If the place seats up to 4,000 people, guests should be chosen: family members, loved ones and celebrities from the world of music or other personalities, such as former President Barack Obama, could be invited, said Friday the great local newspaper , the Detroit Free Press.
The singer will be buried in the cemetery of the city where her father and three of her brothers and sisters are resting, said Gwendolyn Quinn
– Dancing for Aretha –
Meanwhile, the fans of the diva who started as a nine-year-old gospel singer before demonstrating her four-octave talent, from R & B to opera, went on Friday and showed her admiration for the New Bethel Baptist Church, the church of her father's pastor. in a bad neighborhood in the city of Michigan.
Since the announcement of her death on Thursday she became a place of remembrance: anonymous succeeded in dropping messages, flowers, balloons and teddy bears, with in the background the great successes of Aretha. 19659002] His admirers also paraded in front of the Motown museum, housed in the former studio's of the eponymous record label, which planned to broadcast his music all weekend.
If Aretha Franklin never recorded an album, his music has always been associated with the "sound" of Motown.
Fred Zilian, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, who came to Detroit for a reunion with former comrades from the prestigious West Point Military School, danced with his wife for the museum.
"I should be sad because we lost Aretha Franklin, but I had to go out on the streets to dance," he said, remembering how much he loved his music and that of the black artists that Motown Studios did in the years. 60.
"The country was torn by racial issues and, as you can see, we are all white, but we did not care," he told AFP. "It says a lot about the ability to bring music together."
"It's really great, of course we are all sad and heartbroken when we think about his death, but people come to the museum en masse," says museum director Sheila Spencer.
– Glow divine –
Many celebrities have also welcomed this huge artist.
"It is difficult to imagine the world without her, she was not only a great singer, but her commitment to civil rights had an indelible influence on the world", tweeted the actress and singer Barbra Streisand, saying goodbye to Aretha Franklin
In 1987 the singer was the first woman to join the Rock and Roll Gallery of Honor. In 2010, Rolling Stone placed her at the top of her list of the 100 greatest singers of all time, both men and women.
Aretha Franklin sang at the inauguration ceremonies of presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
The one who was the first black president in American history paid him and his wife Michelle a heavy tribute. "For more than six decades, when we sang, we all were entitled to a divine glow," they said in a written statement.
President Donald Trump praised on Twitter "an exceptional woman who has benefited a tremendous blessing from God, his voice", believing that it will continue to inspire many generations. "
Among the dozens of numbers that have risen To the top 40, "Respect", originally composed by Otis Redding would be the greatest success for this woman who became a mother before she was 13, and a hymn for feminism.
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