Faith Hill to Pay Tribute at Aretha Franklin’s Funeral
A variety of artists from different musical genres have been announced as performers for the late Aretha Franklin's funeral, with Faith Hill notably representing the country world.
Hill, along with formidable company Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Yolanda Adams, Chaka Khan and more, will all lift up their remarkable vocal talent to pay homage to Franklin, who died Aug. 16 in her hometown of Detroit.
Hill is a fitting choice for the tribute, having long looked up to the legendary soul singer as a vocal inspiration for her own career. She cited Franklin as her "big influence" in a 1996 interview with the Washington Post.
"For me, the big influence wasn't Linda Ronstadt; it was Aretha Franklin," Hill said at the time. "I've always listened to Aretha. When you hear the drums and bass on my records, that's where it comes from."
Upon Franklin's passing, Hill posted a photo of herself with the icon, and captioned it with glowing words: "GLORY, GLORY, GLORY to the ALMIGHTY!!! The choir of angels now have the greatest voice of all time to lead, praise and join in to sing before Jesus. I wanted to share this photo because it shows just how soulful Aretha was without uttering a word. To say I was humbled to be in her presence would be an understatement."
Hill most recently performed Franklin's famous duet with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," with her husband Tim McGraw last year as part of their Soul2Soul tour.
Franklin's funeral will be held Aug. 31 at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit.
Aretha Franklin Year by Year: