Aretha Franklin died in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., on Aug. 16 at age 76.
When we heard it, it was not only her magnificent voice, but the whole arrangement.
I mean, theres just all these different ways to do it.
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Many great female singers have recorded it.
But nobody can do it better than she can.
The only thing that topped the original was her performance at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015.
She gave her all.
After all these years, not only did she still have it, she had it and more.
She came out and then she sat down at the piano, and my face just lit up.
Shes one of the most gifted piano players.
But she didnt [play that much publicly] in her later years.
After that, she just took the song to a new level.
I was absolutely blown away.
She is one of the purest vocalists.
Many gospel singers dont deign to go pop.
She was happy to.
She really loved to sing, and she really loved to play piano.
She had a profound influence on music and on humanity.
