Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple for Aretha Franklin’s funeral service was filled with celebrities and politicians to pay their last respect for the Queen of Soul. One of those people there was former President Bill Clinton.
Bill and Hillary Clinton were both longtime fans of Aretha and had invited her to perform during his time in the White House. She sang “I Dreamed A Dream” at the 1993 inauguration and in 1997 she was invited back again to do another performance. She has also received a Kennedy Center Honor and was awarded a National Medal of Arts and Humanities in 1999 during his tenure in office.
“She worked her can off to get where she was. She took the gift that God gave her and she kept getting a little bigger every day. So it’s the best that I can do,” Clinton stated.
Bill ended his remarks by raising his cell phone to the mic and letting her 1968 song “Think” play. As the funeral attendees rose to their feet as the song played he says “It’s the key to freedom. God bless you Aretha! We love you.”
