celebrity funerals

Though a public memorial has been scheduled for Kobe Bryant and the seven others who died in a helicopter crash at the Staples Center on February 24, Bryant and his daughter Gianna, have already been laid to rest in a private ceremony. Sign Up For Our Newsletter! RELATED: Vanessa Bryant Speaks On The Loss Of […]

Jessye Norman’s illustrious opera career and extraordinary artistry was honored at her public funeral. So was Jessye Norman the loyal friend, the humanitarian, the teacher and the person not only celebrated for her golden voice, but for her heart of gold. RELATED: Little Known Black History Fact; Jessye Norman Several speakers at Saturday’s four-hour service, […]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Family, friends and dignitaries including Ice Cube, Stevie Wonder and Congresswoman Maxine Waters were among those mourning director John Singleton at his Los Angeles funeral on Monday. The private service was held at Angelus Funeral Home in South Los Angeles, the neighborhood formerly known as South Central, where Singleton spent part […]

John Singleton funeral and interment details have been released. We now know the date and location of his services and where he’ll be buried. Singleton’s service will be observed this Monday at 10 a.m. at the Angelus Funeral Home on Crenshaw Blvd. in the Crenshaw District of South Los Angeles. If the Angelus Funeral Home […]

Farrakhan was on stage with Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

ATLANTA (AP) — A fiery, old-school pastor who is under fire for saying black America is losing “its soul” at Aretha Franklin’s funeral stands firm by his words with the hope critics can understand his perspective. Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. told The Associated Press in a phone interview Sunday he felt his sermon was appropriate […]

    DETROIT (AP) — Former presidents and preachers joined a parade of pop stars Friday in a singing, hip-swaying, piano-pounding farewell to Aretha Franklin, remembering the Queen of Soul as a powerful force for musical and political change and a steadfast friend. In a send-off both grand and personal, an all-star lineup of mourners […]

DETROIT (AP) — Organizers of Aretha Franklin’s funeral insist it will be a service, not a show. Yet the Queen of Soul’s final send-off on Friday certainly will encompass many elements, emotions and grand entrances that were hallmarks of her more than six decades on sacred and secular stages.   A lot of pink Cadillacs […]

Aretha Franklin is getting a send off worthy of a Queen! According to ENews, the Queen of Soul’s celebration of life will run for six and a half hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit, Michigan, on Friday. As previously reported, artists like Faith Hill, Ariana Grande, Chaka Khan, Jennifer […]

  DETROIT (AP) — Mourners streamed in for a second day Wednesday to pay their respects to Aretha Franklin, who was dressed in a different outfit for her final public viewing, as if making a costume change during a show. Fans waited festively outside, then walked in a solemn, single-file line into the rotunda of […]

Aretha Franklin’s funeral on Friday, August 31st will be a day of special performances dedicated to the Queen of Soul.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ariana Grande will be among the performers who will pay tribute to Aretha Franklin at her funeral Friday. Grande will be among entertainers Steve Wonder, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Faith Hill, Shirley Caesar, Chaka Khan and more. Franklin’s rep, Gwendolyn Quinn, says Franklin met Grande when the two performed at the White […]