Ariana Grande has been selected as one of the performers who will honor Aretha Franklin during her funeral. Friday's event will also be graced by performances by Stevie Wonder, Fantasia, Faith Hill, Shirley Cesar and Jennifer Huson, who was cast as the queen of soul herself in the upcoming biopic.
Aretha Franklin's rep, Gwendolyn Quinn, says that the diva met Grande when they were both performing as part of the lineup for "Women of Soul," which was hosted at the White House in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama.
Quinn says Franklin felt that her encounter with the "God is a woman" singer was pleasant at the time.
Although the song chosen for Grande's performance has yet to be made public, the young entertainer impressed Franklin's family with her rendition of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." She had sung the iconic song following Aretha's death on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon backed by the show's impeccable house band, The Roots.
The entertainment industry has been in mourning since Aretha Franklin's passing on August 16, at the age of 76. Many tributes, like the one crafted for the VMAs, are in the works. Fans also came out in droves to the public viewing of her body yesterday.
