Stevie Wonder appeared to reference President Trump Friday as he honored Aretha Franklin at her funeral, speaking to the Queen of Soul’s legacy.
“The reason that we are here today is because of love, because of how much we loved this woman, the blessing from God that was given to us,” Wonder said before performing a rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer” and his own 1976 track “As.”
“Yes, we can talk about all the things that are wrong, and there are many. But the only thing that can deliver us is love,” said Wonder, an icon in his own right. “So what needs to happen today, not only in this nation but throughout the world, is that we need to make love great again — because black lives do matter, because all lives do matter. And if we love God, then we know truly it is our love that will make all things matter, when we make love great again.”
Love is the “greatest gift” given in life, musician Stevie Wonder said during a moving tribute to Aretha Franklin, adding, “We need to make love great again because black lives do matter, because all lives do matter.” https://t.co/TYFT4kJhi3 pic.twitter.com/87HDAQiJAc
— CNN (@CNN) August 31, 2018
Franklin died on Aug. 16 at the age of 76 following a protracted fight with pancreatic cancer.
Mourners, including Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., gathered at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, Mi., to say their final farewells to the legendary singer-songwriter.
Waters, a staunch Trump critic, was seen saluting Franklin with the “Wakanda Forever” gesture popularized by hit 2018 film, “Black Panther” after being recognized from the podium.
“We have lost and we will miss this wonderful talent, this woman that inspired so much,” she told reporters outside the service.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters at Greater Grace Temple for the #ArethaFranklin funeral, says the world will miss Aretha’s talent and that the singer gave so much and inspired many. pic.twitter.com/eRadTyjgqb
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) August 31, 2018
