The Queen of Soul will be laid to rest this Friday, Aug. 31 in Detroit, Michigan, the city where she grew up. Aretha Franklin, who died on Aug. 16 at the age of 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, will be honored with four days of mourning and celebration of her life and talent, culminating in the star-studded funeral on Friday morning.
Over Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Franklin’s body will lie in repose at the Charles H. Wright Museum for African-American History in Detroit for public viewing and for fans to pay their R.E.S.P.E.C.T. The line is already around the block, and you can watch Detroit Local 4’s live stream here. On Thursday, Franklin will be moved to the New Bethel Baptist Church for another day of visitation.
A tribute concert—with free tickets that were all claimed within minutes—is planned for Thursday night. The performers will include Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, and Dee Dee Bridgewater. You can watch live coverage of the concert, named “A People’s Tribute to the Queen,” on ABC News Live beginning at 6pm ET.
The funeral itself is on Friday at Greater Grace Temple, and will feature tributes from an all-star line-up, including Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill, and many more. Franklin’s longtime friends, including Motown legend Smokey Robinson and former US president Bill Clinton, are also expected to speak. The funeral is invitation only, for close family and friends, but here’s how to pay your respects from afar:
How to watch the livestream online
The funeral is set to begin at 10am ET and last many hours. The Detroit Free Press confirmed that the Associated Press will livestream the service online, which means it will be picked up by various media outlets worldwide.
Detroit’s Local 4 will also begin coverage at 9am, and will stream online at its website, ClickOnDetroit.com. NPR will also begin streaming the funeral on this page beginning 10am on Friday morning, as will ABC News Live.
How to watch on TV in the US
On the day, tune in to Fox News and CNN, which plan to air portions of the ceremony. Local 4 also plans to cover the funeral live on-air.
How to watch via social media
In addition to dedicated live Twitter coverage on the day by @Local4News, the online sphere will be teeming with discussion of the Queen of Soul, hashtagged #Aretha. We’ll update this page when further coverage is confirmed.
This post has been updated with more details of the Aug. 30 tribute concert and Aug. 31 funeral.