|
They will be joined by R&B singers Chaka Khan,
Ron Isley, Fantasia and Yolanda Adams at the funeral for the
late Queen of Soul, publicist Gwendolyn Quinn said in a
statement.
Franklin, 76, died last week of pancreatic cancer in her Detroit
home. Her Aug. 31 funeral will be held at Detroit's 4,000-seat
Greater Grace Temple, which was the venue for the 2005 funeral
of civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
The funeral will be limited to family, friends, dignitaries and
special guests.
Thousands of members of the public are expected to pay their
respects to Franklin during three days of viewing of her casket
at Detroit's Museum of African-American History, and at the New
Bethel Baptist Church where a teenaged Franklin sang in the
gospel choir.
The 18-time Grammy-winning singer of hits like "Chain of Fools"
and "Respect" was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but grew up in
Detroit and retained strong links to the city.
Her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, was a minister at the New
Bethel Baptist Church for more than 30 years and Franklin honed
her singing skills in the church choir.
Franklin's second son, Edward Franklin, will also sing at the
funeral, along with the Aretha Franklin Orchestra and the Aretha
Franklin Choir, Quinn said.
Detroit news media on Thursday reported plans by Greater Grace
Temple church leaders to bring in dozens of pink Cadillacs to
line the streets for next Friday's service. Franklin sang about
cruising joyously in a pink Cadillac in her 1985 hit "Freeway of
Love."
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Leslie Adler)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
