SHE lived with courage, not without fear but overcoming her fears. She lived with faith, not without failure but overcoming her failures. She lived with power, not without weakness but overcoming her weakness. I just love her” These were the words from former US President Bill Clinton at Aretha Franklin’s farewell reception.

Listening to all the testimonies made me think of 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This was a scripture shared in church a few nights ago and I decided to add it to my vision board. This will give me a constant reminder of things I need to do to be able to repeat this scripture one day and mean it.
We all have a confirmed ticket to that destination. The date and departure time varies. The legend recently took her flight at age 76 on August 16 which is the day after my birthday.
Her life is a testimony that it does not matter where you start but how and where you finish.

Imagine a young black woman giving birth at age 13 and 15 and bouncing back with a career that made her the queen of soul. She was just a child herself and found it difficult to cope but her God-given talent helped her to make a way. She could have felt defeated with so many unfortunate things happening around her, including her mom’s death. Her dad was a very popular pastor who was instrumental in her career, starting in the church like many of the greats. She got married at 19 to her manager Ted White and gave birth to another son. Then a few years later, she had another son by her manager. Her career was moving fast but her personal life was disastrous. She was a trailblazer, broke many barriers and paved the way for many of the singers we are enjoying today. It is still difficult for women of colour to grace the cover of a prominent magazine and she made the cover of the Times Magazine in 1968. Isn’t that something? She was the first woman to be inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She was nominated for over 40 Grammys and won 18.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Her song became like an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and she was very proud of that. She did not just raise her voice in song but also in justice. She travelled with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr who was very close to the family and sang at his events and also at his funeral.

She had such a diva attitude even though it was said she had confidence issues and she had a great sense of humour. She made me laugh during one of her interviews a few years ago. A guy from the Washington Journal was asking her about some of the current singers and he called their names and she had to make a comment : “Adele- Young, good singer; Alicia Keys- young performer, good writer/producer; Taylor Swift – great gowns, beautiful gowns; Whitney Houston – a talent, definite talent and she had a gift. Cissy’s baby. Nicki Minaj, hmm, I will pass that one.”

She always spoke highly of Smokey Robinson, Cissy Houston, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan and regarded them as friends.

Smokey Robinson was her oldest and dearest friend. Smokey was eight when they met through her brother Cecil. He visited her home and was greeted by a little person on the piano and singing. He was saying to CNN’s Don Lemon (who was emotional) he is celebrating her life because of the great memories they created. He said he spoke to her until she could not speak anymore.

“She was the breaker, the person that set the pace for the rest of us. I was 12 when I first heard Aretha sing. She touches you somewhere with her music. We all looked up to her,” said Gladys Knight.

The iconic Aretha Franklin performance was simply ‘Electric’ as she performed before dignitaries at the Kennedy Centre Honours. President Obama was very emotional and I think that will be regarded as one of her most memorable performances.

The funeral was as star-studded as the big award shows. Her outfits changed daily and Bill Clinton joked about looking forward to seeing the dress the diva will be wearing.

The performances of all genres were amazing and I was stunned by how Shirley Caesar, who is 78, looks like 58. I had the honour of sitting next to her and chatting at the GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends 2017.
Franklin was a fan of the Cadillac, specifically pink ones and sang about them in her 1985 hit “Freeway of Love.”

Aretha Franklin got the R-E-S-P-E-C-T she deserved with the tribute from Mary Kay, when more than 100 pink Cadillacs gathered on Seven Mile Road to escort the hearse carrying the late singer’s casket.

“I think I am just starting to come down from the passing of my long-time client, Aretha Franklin. She took me places only a Queen can; and introduced me to some amazing people along the way. I would not have experienced the level of success in my career without her power and influence. She trusted me,” said Long-time publicist Gwen Quinn.
I met Gwen at the Barbados Music awards five years. What a life she led and it reflected in her death.

What do you want your eulogy to read like?

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