Watch Aretha Franklin's star-packed 'Celebration of Life' funeral

Detroit prepares to send Aretha Franklin off in style

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, will be laid to rest on Friday after an all-star funeral at Detroit's Greater Grace Temple. Speakers include former President Bill Clinton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and Smokey Robinson, and the hours-long ceremony will also include performances from Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Chaka Khan, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, and other musicians. Franklin's casket will be transported to Woodlawn Cemetery in the same 1940 Cadillac LaSalle hearse that carried her father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, and Rosa Parks. The streets outside the church will be lined with pink Cadillacs, associated with Franklin since her 1985 hit "Freeway of Love."

Despite the star power, "this is not a concert, this is not a show, this is not an awards production," Bishop Charles Ellis III tells The Associated Press. "This is a real life that has been lived, that a person regardless of how famous she became no matter how many people she touched around the world, she still could not escape death." His goal, Ellis said, is "to ensure that people leave here with some kind of spiritual awakening." Whatever your goal, you can watch the "Celebration of Life" below. The service starts at 10 a.m. ET. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.