Tag Archives: aretha-franklin

Smokey Robinson paid tribute to Aretha Franklin, his “longest friend,” and sang “Really Gonna Miss You” at the Queen of Soul’s funeral ceremony on Friday. Robinson reminisced about meeting Franklin just after she moved to Detroit from Buffalo. Robinson was eight at the time. “From that moment on, almost, we …

Over the course of his lifetime, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) saw Aretha Franklin sing more times than he can count —in stadiums, parks, at a private birthday in Washington, D.C. He can’t recall exactly when the first time was, but he knows where: her father’s church, in downtown Detroit. She …