Aretha Franklin’s fans, family and celebrity friends are gathered at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit to pay their last respects to the Queen of Soul, who died Aug. 16, of pancreatic cancer.

Atlanta’s Jasper Williams Jr., pastor of Salem Baptist Church, will deliver the eulogy just as his dad did for Franklin’s father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, at his funeral in 1984.

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Guest speakers and performers will include former President Bill Clinton, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Tyler Perry and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The memorial service began around 10 a.m. Friday.

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Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney — pictured during a hearing Monday, Dec. 15, 2025 — has cleared the way for Georgia's State Election Board to obtain Fulton ballots and other documents from the 2020 election. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC