Aretha Franklin‘s funeral service is set to take place in her hometown of Detroit, MI, on August 31st at 10 a.m. Today, The Detroit Free Press revealed that the star-studded, invite-only service will be broadcast in full on several Detroit TV stations (including WDIV, WJBK, and WXYZ), with portions of the event being broadcast via several national TV outlets. The funeral will also be available to stream live in full here via The Associated Press. A public viewing period took place this week in Detroit.
You can watch the Aretha Franklin funeral livestream below via The Guardian:
Aretha Franklin Funeral Livestream
[Video: The Guardian]
As Rolling Stone notes, “The event will feature singers whose remarkable voices made them stars alongside Franklin in the Sixties and Seventies such as Stevie Wonder, a longtime friend who also co-wrote Franklin’s hit “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do),” the Isley Brothers’ Ronald Isley, who sang a duet with Franklin in 2006, and Chaka Khan, whose brassy delivery was at times reminiscent of Franklin’s. In addition to these high-profile names, a number of immensely talented gospel singers will be on hand to celebrate the Queen of Soul, including Adams, Mavin Sapp, Shirley Caesar, The Clark Sisters, and Tasha Cobbs-Leonard.”
The service will also include contemporary artists who continue to bear Aretha’s torch in the modern music world including Faith Hill, Fantasia, and Jennifer Hudson. Hudson was picked earlier this year to portray Franklin in a biopic, though the fate of the film is currently unknown.
President Bill Clinton will appear at the funeral to honor Aretha Franklin as well, as she performed at his inauguration in 1993 and received her National Medal of Arts and Humanities from Clinton in 1999. The funeral service will also feature, record mogul Clive Davis, Motown legend Smokey Robinson, and actress Cicely Tyson, as well as speeches from Michigan governor Rick Snyder, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and former U.S. Attorney Eric Holder.
With such a diverse and well-respected cast contributing to her funeral, it should be no obvious just how otherworldly Aretha Franklin was. If you need more proof, just check out the massive rainbow that arced over Comerica Park in her hometown during a moment of silence for her at a recent Detroit Tigers game.
The funeral will be live streamed by USA Today, the Associated Press, and ABC News on their websites. Additionally, SiriusXM’s Channel 49, “The Aretha Franklin Tribute Channel,” will broadcast the entire service and take calls afterwards for those who wish to share memories.
[H/T Rolling Stone]