The Rev. Jasper Williams Jr., pastor emeritus of Salem Bible Church in Atlanta, will deliver the eulogy at a private funeral for Aretha Franklin on Aug. 31.

Williams, a powerful preacher and award-winning singer, also delivered the eulogy for the Queen of Soul’s father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin in 1984.

RelatedAretha Franklin's role in shaping the civil rights movement

Williams considered C.L. Franklin to be a beloved mentor.

The Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. (left) and son, the Rev. Joseph L. Williams. CONTRIBUTED
icon to expand image

In a video posed  on his Facebook page, the Rev. Joseph L. Williams asked his father how it felt to preach the funeral of Franklin, who died of pancreatic cancer Aug. 16 at age 76.

His father called it a privilege to preach at the funeral of the daughter of C.L. Franklin.

RelatedThe Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. seeks prayers as he prepares to eulogize Aretha Franklin

“My admiration, love and respect for Dr. . Franklin is infinite,” the elder Williams said in the video. “In other words, there are no boundaries. There are no limitations. I feel like what I was privileged to have done 34 years ago when I preached his funeral Aug. 11, 1984...God put a comma there. To me and in my mind at the time, it was a period. It was the end of the greatest anticipation of what ever I wanted as a preacher.”

However,  when “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” singer  asked him to preach at her funeral, it was as if “God was taking that period and pulling the line down to make it a pause or a comma...It was one of the things that God just gave me.”

Franklin had requested Williams.

In another post, Jasper Williams compared it a a subject following the orders of “the queen.”

“That’s the thing that is  so behooving and moving to me,” he said. “I feel like I’m carrying out an order that only the queen gave ,” he said.

While the funeral is private, the public can pay its respect to the legendary singer at public viewings Aug. 28 and 29 viewing.

About the Author

Keep Reading

KhaDarel Hodge (center) and the Atlanta Falcons celebrated two wins over the Buccaneers last season — one on Oct. 4 when Hodge scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime in Atlanta (pictured) and the second one Oct. 27 in Tampa, Florida. The Falcons and Bucs open the 2025 NFL season on Sept. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (John Bazemore/AP 2024)

Credit: AP

Featured

Cuthbert is the county seat of Randolph County, one of 94 Georgia counties that registered more deaths than births in 2024. The county's hospital closed in 2020, leaving longtime state Rep. Gerald Greene to drivce himself 46 miles to Albany while suffering from a kidney stone recently. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC