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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Take a Halloween Hike at the Chattahoochee Nature Center on Friday through Sunday and meet animals along the way. (Courtesy of Chattahoochee Nature Center)

Credit: Photo courtesy of Chattahoochee Nature Center

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Peggy Harris (foreground) stocks the shelves at Sandy's IGA, which is the only grocery store in town, Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in Sparta. Hancock County has one of the highest rates of childhood food insecurity in the country. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC