Sabrina Owens, the late Queen of Soul's niece, explains that her family gathered together at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan to honor the memory of the 'Respect' hitmaker.
- Mar 26, 2019
AceShowbiz - Aretha Franklin's relatives have celebrated what would have been her 77th birthday with a special memorial service near her final resting place.
The late Queen of Soul's family members gathered on Monday, March 25, to honour her memory at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan, and, according to The Associated Press, her loved ones attended a ceremony held in the onsite chapel, where they also paid tribute to other late members of the Franklin clan.
"Our family thought it might be a good idea for us to start the day the right way, in prayer," the singer's niece, Sabrina Owens, said.
The group will also be attendance at the Detroit premiere of "Amazing Grace (2019)", the concert movie Aretha spent years trying to keep off the big screen, on Monday night.
Happy birthday to the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin, who would have been 77 today.
— Detroit Inst of Arts (@DIADetroit) 25 March 2019
The DIA is honored to host tonight's invitation-only world premiere of "Amazing Grace," the concert film documenting her 1972 performances at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/giMvm0C2XQ
Officials at the Detroit Institute of Arts initially scheduled one screening of director Sydney Pollack's film, which chronicles the "Respect" hitmaker's performance at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles in January 1972, but due to overbooking, a second showing has been scheduled for Tuesday.
