The only thing more dramatic than the Lions' 16-13 fourth-quarter win over the Vikings on Thursday was Aretha Franklin's rendition of the national anthem. 
 
 Actually, "dramatic" might not be the best word to use to describe Franklin's performance. "Never-ending" would probably work better after Franklin somehow managed to belt the anthem out for a full four minutes and 35 seconds. 
 
 To put that into perspective, oddsmakers usually expect the national anthem at the Super Bowl to run for roughly two minutes. Franklin doubled that, plus some, and let's just say people on Twitter weren't amused. 
 
 After Franklin was done singing, the jokes started flying. 
 
 There were football jokes. 
 
 Due to the length of Aretha Franklin's national anthem... Both teams have to warm up again. Kick off pushed back half hour #figureitout — D Durkin (@D_Durkin) November 24, 2016 The ref should throw a delay of game flag at Aretha Franklin for this National Anthem. #thanksgivingthursday — AJ Burman (@BurmanAJ) November 24, 2016 Due to Aretha Franklin's national anthem, kickoff for the Vikings Lions game has been pushed back to 4:25 — Jake Berger (@Jake_Berger) November 24, 2016 
 
 There were Colin Kaepernick jokes. 
 
 Kaepernick would've developed arthritis in his knee for kneeling so long if the 49ers were playing while Aretha Franklin sang the anthem — Brock (@BrockOgami) November 24, 2016 If Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the Aretha Franklin version of the National Anthem, he'd need an orthopedic surgeon to stand again. — Dubsism (@Dubsism) November 24, 2016 
 
 There were Thanksgiving jokes. 
 
 I cooked my whole turkey, ate and did the dishes during Aretha Franklin's National Anthem performance. — B. Miller (@BlaiseInKC) November 24, 2016 when aretha franklin started singing the national anthem, we were cutting the turkey. By the time she finished we were opening presents smh — psyche$nelic (@SnelbangTheGoat) November 24, 2016 Turkey's gettin' cold, Aretha. — mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) November 24, 2016 
 
 There were presidential jokes. 
 
 I call Aretha Franklin the Abe Lincoln of singing the National Anthem cuz she started four score and seven years ago. — Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) November 24, 2016 Before Aretha Franklin sang the National Anthem 
 
 After Aretha Franklin sang the National Anthem pic.twitter.com/EaMF1CctzB — shauna (@goldengateblond) November 24, 2016 
 
 There were even Johnny Manziel jokes. 
 
 Aretha Franklin had a longer NFL career than Johnny Manziel. — The Fake ESPN (@TheFakeESPN) November 24, 2016 Aretha Franklin's national anthem lasted longer than Johnny Manziel's career — Andre Magaro (@andre_magaro) November 24, 2016 
 
 There was also a time of possesion joke at the end of the first half. 
 
 Time of possession battle is crucial. pic.twitter.com/EZVC53fVeD — NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) November 24, 2016 
 
 And a joke about starting a family. 
 
 Bro I got married and had a child and Aretha Franklin still isn't done — netflix & just chill (@JustChillin247) November 24, 2016 
 
 On the other hand, maybe we should stop complaining. The Vikings-Lions halftime show of Andy Grammer sent Twitter on another firestorm. 
 
 This nonsense lasted 30 seconds longer then Aretha. Happy now? pic.twitter.com/LyVYWyUkM4 — Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) November 24, 2016 I'm not thankful for whatever Andy Grammer is doing on my TV... — Ted (@tlschwerz) November 24, 2016 Hasn't Detroit been through enough without subjecting its holidays to Andy Grammer? — Mike Schaefer (@mikejschaefer) November 24, 2016 
 
 After watching Grammer's performance, maybe we shouldn't complain about Aretha. 
 
 Aretha Franklin is pretty far up at the top of the list of folks who can take however long they want with the national anthem. — Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) November 24, 2016 
 
 If you missed Franklin's performance, you can see it below. ||||| 😩😂Y'all better let Aretha Franklin sing this National Anthem. No interruptions. Happy Thanksgiving! #MINvsDET #NFL https://t.co/jyoUfv4nwn — Gerren Peterson (@GerrenPeterson) November 24, 2016 
 
 Legendary singer Aretha Franklin has reached a status in her career where she can do no wrong. 
 
 The Queen of Soul has a career spanning six decades. She’s won 20 Grammy Awards. Has a Kennedy Center Honor. And was granted the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 
 
 So when Aretha Franklin wants to sing a 5-minute version of the National Anthem, Aretha Franklin sings a 5-minute version of the National Anthem. 
 
 She did just that on Thanksgiving too — performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Thursday’s Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field. 
 
 Gregory Shamus/Getty 
 
 Wearing a grey fur coat and a knit Detroit Lions hat, Franklin sat behind a grand piano — which she played throughout the song. She took fans to church in the heartfelt performance — slowing down the song and hanging on nearly every word. (The “flag was still there” — for at least 12 seconds, for example.) 
 
 Franklin is an icon to the city of Detroit — where the sound of Motown was born. So it was no surprise that the crowd at Ford Field were especially in love with Franklin’s National Anthem — breaking into thunderous applause throughout the performance. 
 
 But the Internet had a field day of their own with her rendition. 
 
 “Thankful Aretha Franklin doesn’t sing the Anthem when I pitch,” wrote Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher James Taillon. “Pretty sure I would have to go back to the pen and warm back up #pipesthough.” 
 
 Thankful Aretha Franklin doesn't sing the Anthem when I pitch, pretty sure I would have to go back to the pen and warm back up #pipesthough — Jameson Taillon (@JTaillon19) November 24, 2016 
 
 Watch What Happens Live! host Andy Cohen kept things superficial by complimenting Franklin on her outfit. 
 
 Other fans on Twitter couldn’t get over how long Franklin took — many joking about what they could have done in the meantime. 
 
 I cooked my whole turkey, ate and did the dishes during Aretha Franklin's National Anthem performance. — B. Miller (@BlaiseInKC) November 24, 2016 
 
 Mom: Can u go to the store and buy some milk? Me: I can't the game is about to start Aretha Franklin: I got u fam — Victor Martinez (@fakevmart41) November 24, 2016 
 
 Detroit vs Minnesota time of possession stats Lions: 3 minutes 
 
 Vikings: 0 minutes 
 
 Aretha Franklin: 8 minutes — Kevin Jost (@kjoster19) November 24, 2016 
 
 Bro I got married and had a child and Aretha Franklin still isn't done — juan (@JustChillin247) November 24, 2016 
 
 And it’s a good thing Colin Kaepernick wasn’t around… 
 
 Kaepernick would've developed arthritis in his knee for kneeling so long if the 49ers were playing while Aretha Franklin sang the anthem — Brock (@BrockOgami) November 24, 2016 
 
 Still, the praise for Franklin was pretty unanimous. 
 
 aretha franklin is an absolute icon and the queen of soul, she can go on as long as she wants. #respect pic.twitter.com/tEbhORgS8p — jack (@JackBallou) November 24, 2016 
 
 Aretha Franklin is pretty far up at the top of the list of folks who can take however long they want with the national anthem. — Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) November 24, 2016 
 
 Aretha Franklin's been in the biz long enough 2 know what's up. She's like "complain if u want but who's trending, who'll be on the news…" — HopeAndLove (@GoodLife49) November 24, 2016 
 
 Y'all better put some R E S P E C T on Aretha Franklin's national anthem — Jammer 🗣 (@JaMir_Russell) November 24, 2016 
 
 Never change, Aretha. Never change. ||||| Things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving: 
 
 Friends 
 
 Family 
 
 Health 
 
 Aretha Franklin 
 
 Especially Aretha Franklin. 
 
 Aretha Franklin performs the National Anthem before the Detroit Lions' game Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings in Detroit. Rick Osentoski / AP 
 
 The Queen of Soul — whose family moved to Detroit when she was a young girl almost 70 years ago — settled in at the piano Thursday before the Detroit Lions' game against the Minnesota Vikings and turned "The Star-Spangled Banner" into a 4-minute, 35-second-long church spiritual. 
 
 NFL 2016 Live 1 (00) - Aretha Franklin sings the National Anthem https://t.co/9tjUuAvUNp — ??thinking diehard (@hanae_56_20) November 24, 2016 
 
 And America went nuts. 
 
 NFL 2016 Live 1 (00) - Aretha Franklin sings the National Anthem https://t.co/9tjUuAvUNp — ??thinking diehard (@hanae_56_20) November 24, 2016 
 
 Lol they put Aretha Franklin on the time of possession graphic for her long national anthem. ?? pic.twitter.com/cwPUFmclFE — Markeece Young ?? (@YoungBLKRepub) November 24, 2016 
 
 Before Aretha Franklin sang the National Anthem 
 
 After Aretha Franklin sang the National Anthem pic.twitter.com/EaMF1CctzB — shauna (@goldengateblond) November 24, 2016 
 
 Between Aretha's national anthem and the family member that prays for 45 minutes, we ain't eating until Saturday — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) November 24, 2016 
 
 I'm glad #ArethaFranklin sang an extended version of the National Anthem.. took them to Church ..made them search their hearts????@Iam360WISE — MC HAMMER (@MCHammer) November 24, 2016 
 
 Nobody rushes Aretha. Nobody. We've got all the time. — Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle) November 24, 2016 
 
 Aretha Franklin had a longer NFL career than Johnny Manziel. — The Fake ESPN (@TheFakeESPN) November 24, 2016 
 
 By no means was it the first time Lady Soul has astonished fans with an unexpected demonstration of her enormous talent and vocal range. 
 
 In 1998, Franklin stepped in at the last minute for the ailing Luciano Pavarotti at the Grammy Awards, and instead of doing her normal thing, she delivered a note-perfect rendition of the aria "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's opera "Turandot" — Pavarotti's signature tune. 
 
 "Nessun Dorma" has since become part of Franklin's own repertoire. She's recorded the aria on an album, and she even performed it again last year in Philadelphia for Pope Francis. ||||| FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2017 file photo, Aretha Franklin attends the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 25th Anniversary Gala in New York. Franklin died Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018 at her home in Detroit. She... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2017 file photo, Aretha Franklin attends the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 25th Anniversary Gala in New York. Franklin died Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018 at her home in Detroit. She was 76. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File) (Associated Press) 
 
 DETROIT (AP) — Aretha Franklin, the undisputed "Queen of Soul" who sang with matchless style on such classics as "Think," ''I Say a Little Prayer" and her signature song, "Respect," and stood as a cultural icon around the globe, has died at age 76 from advanced pancreatic cancer. 
 
 Publicist Gwendolyn Quinn tells The Associated Press through a family statement that Franklin died Thursday at 9:50 a.m. at her home in Detroit. The statement said "Franklin's official cause of death was due to advance pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin's oncologist, Dr. Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute" in Detroit. 
 
 The family added: "In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds." 
 
 The statement continued: 
 
 "We have been deeply touched by the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from close friends, supporters and fans all around the world. Thank you for your compassion and prayers. We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on. As we grieve, we ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time." 
 
 Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days. 
 
 Franklin, who had battled undisclosed health issues in recent years, had in 2017 announced her retirement from touring. 
 
 A professional singer and accomplished pianist by her late teens, a superstar by her mid-20s, Franklin had long ago settled any arguments over who was the greatest popular vocalist of her time. Her gifts, natural and acquired, were a multi-octave mezzo-soprano, gospel passion and training worthy of a preacher's daughter, taste sophisticated and eccentric, and the courage to channel private pain into liberating song. 
 
 She recorded hundreds of tracks and had dozens of hits over the span of a half century, including 20 that reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. But her reputation was defined by an extraordinary run of top 10 smashes in the late 1960s, from the morning-after bliss of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," to the wised-up "Chain of Fools" to her unstoppable call for "Respect." 
 
 Her records sold millions of copies and the music industry couldn't honor her enough. Franklin won 18 Grammy awards. In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 
 
 Fellow singers bowed to her eminence and political and civic leaders treated her as a peer. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was a longtime friend, and she sang at the dedication of King's memorial, in 2011. She performed at the inaugurations of Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and at the funeral for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. Clinton gave Franklin the National Medal of Arts. President George W. Bush awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 2005. 
 
 Franklin's best-known appearance with a president was in January 2009, when she sang "My Country 'tis of Thee" at Barack Obama's inauguration. She wore a gray felt hat with a huge, Swarovski rhinestone-bordered bow that became an Internet sensation and even had its own website. In 2015, she brought Obama and others to tears with a triumphant performance of "Natural Woman" at a Kennedy Center tribute to the song's co-writer, Carole King. 
 
 Franklin endured the exhausting grind of celebrity and personal troubles dating back to childhood. She was married from 1961 to 1969 to her manager, Ted White, and their battles are widely believed to have inspired her performances on several songs, including "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone," ''Think" and her heartbreaking ballad of despair, "Ain't No Way." The mother of two sons by age 16 (she later had two more), she was often in turmoil as she struggled with her weight, family problems and financial predicaments. Her best known producer, Jerry Wexler, nicknamed her "Our Lady of Mysterious Sorrows." 
 
 Franklin married actor Glynn Turman in 1978 in Los Angeles but returned to her hometown of Detroit the following year after her father was shot by burglars and left semi-comatose until his death in 1984. She and Turman divorced that year. 
 
 Despite growing up in Detroit, and having Smokey Robinson as a childhood friend, Franklin never recorded for Motown Records; stints with Columbia and Arista were sandwiched around her prime years with Atlantic Records. But it was at Detroit's New Bethel Baptist Church, where her father was pastor, that Franklin learned the gospel fundamentals that would make her a soul institution. 
 
 Aretha Louise Franklin was born March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee. The Rev. C.L. Franklin soon moved his family to Buffalo, New York, then to Detroit, where the Franklins settled after the marriage of Aretha's parents collapsed and her mother (and reputed sound-alike) Barbara returned to Buffalo. 
 
 C.L. Franklin was among the most prominent Baptist ministers of his time. He recorded dozens of albums of sermons and music and knew such gospel stars as Marion Williams and Clara Ward, who mentored Aretha and her sisters Carolyn and Erma. (Both sisters sang on Aretha's records, and Carolyn also wrote "Ain't No Way" and other songs for Aretha). Music was the family business and performers from Sam Cooke to Lou Rawls were guests at the Franklin house. In the living room, the shy young Aretha awed friends with her playing on the grand piano. 
 
 Franklin occasionally performed at New Bethel Baptist throughout her career; her 1987 gospel album "One Lord One Faith One Baptism" was recorded live at the church. 
 
 Her most acclaimed gospel recording came in 1972 with the Grammy-winning album "Amazing Grace," which was recorded live at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in South Central Los Angeles and featured gospel legend James Cleveland, along with her own father (Mick Jagger was one of the celebrities in the audience). It became one of of the best-selling gospel albums ever. 
 
 The piano she began learning at age 8 became a jazzy component of much of her work, including arranging as well as songwriting. "If I'm writing and I'm producing and singing, too, you get more of me that way, rather than having four or five different people working on one song," Franklin told The Detroit News in 2003. 
 
 Franklin was in her early teens when she began touring with her father, and she released a gospel album in 1956 through J-V-B Records. Four years later, she signed with Columbia Records producer John Hammond, who called Franklin the most exciting singer he had heard since a vocalist he promoted decades earlier, Billie Holiday. Franklin knew Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. and considered joining his label, but decided it was just a local company at the time. 
 
 Franklin recorded several albums for Columbia Records over the next six years. She had a handful of minor hits, including "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody" and "Runnin' Out of Fools," but never quite caught on as the label tried to fit into her a variety of styles, from jazz and show songs to such pop numbers as "Mockingbird." Franklin jumped to Atlantic Records when her contract ran out, in 1966. 
 
 "But the years at Columbia also taught her several important things," critic Russell Gersten later wrote. "She worked hard at controlling and modulating her phrasing, giving her a discipline that most other soul singers lacked. She also developed a versatility with mainstream music that gave her later albums a breadth that was lacking on Motown LPs from the same period. 
 
 "Most important, she learned what she didn't like: to do what she was told to do." 
 
 At Atlantic, Wexler teamed her with veteran R&B musicians from Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, and the result was a tougher, soulful sound, with call-and-response vocals and Franklin's gospel-style piano, which anchored "I Say a Little Prayer," ''Natural Woman" and others. 
 
 Of Franklin's dozens of hits, none was linked more firmly to her than the funky, horn-led march "Respect" and its spelled out demand for "R-E-S-P-E-C-T." 
 
 Writing in Rolling Stone magazine in 2004, Wexler said: "It was an appeal for dignity combined with a blatant lubricity. There are songs that are a call to action. There are love songs. There are sex songs. But it's hard to think of another song where all those elements are combined." 
 
 Franklin had decided she wanted to "embellish" the R&B song written by Otis Redding, whose version had been a modest hit in 1965, Wexler said. 
 
 "When she walked into the studio, it was already worked out in her head," the producer wrote. "Otis came up to my office right before 'Respect' was released, and I played him the tape. He said, 'She done took my song.' He said it benignly and ruefully. He knew the identity of the song was slipping away from him to her." 
 
 In a 2004 interview with the St. Petersburg (Florida) Times, Franklin was asked whether she sensed in the '60s that she was helping change popular music. 
 
 "Somewhat, certainly with 'Respect,' that was a battle cry for freedom and many people of many ethnicities took pride in that word," she answered. "It was meaningful to all of us." 
 
 In 1968, Franklin was pictured on the cover of Time magazine and had more than 10 Top 20 hits in 1967 and 1968. At a time of rebellion and division, Franklin's records were a musical union of the church and the secular, man and woman, black and white, North and South, East and West. They were produced and engineered by New Yorkers Wexler and Tom Dowd, arranged by Turkish-born Arif Mardin and backed by an interracial assembly of top session musicians based mostly in Alabama. 
 
 Her popularity faded during the 1970s despite such hits as the funky "Rock Steady" and such acclaimed albums as the intimate "Spirit in the Dark." But her career was revived in 1980 with a cameo appearance in the smash movie "The Blues Brothers" and her switch to Arista Records. Franklin collaborated with such pop and soul artists as Luther Vandross, Elton John, Whitney Houston and George Michael, with whom she recorded a No. 1 single, "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)." Her 1985 album "Who's Zoomin' Who" received some of her best reviews and included such hits as the title track and "Freeway of Love." 
 
 Critics consistently praised Franklin's singing but sometimes questioned her material; she covered songs by Stephen Sondheim, Bread, the Doobie Brothers. For Aretha, anything she performed was "soul." 
 
 From her earliest recording sessions at Columbia, when she asked to sing "Over the Rainbow," she defied category. The 1998 Grammys gave her a chance to demonstrate her range. Franklin performed "Respect," then, with only a few minutes' notice, filled in for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti and drew rave reviews for her rendition of "Nessun Dorma," a stirring aria for tenors from Puccini's "Turandot." 
 
 "I'm sure many people were surprised, but I'm not there to prove anything," Franklin told The Associated Press. "Not necessary." 
 
 Fame never eclipsed Franklin's charitable works, or her loyalty to Detroit. 
 
 Franklin sang the national anthem at Super Bowl in her hometown in 2006, after grousing that Detroit's rich musical legacy was being snubbed when the Rolling Stones were chosen as halftime performers. 
 
 "I didn't think there was enough (Detroit representation) by any means," she said. "And it was my feeling, 'How dare you come to Detroit, a city of legends — musical legends, plural — and not ask one or two of them to participate?' That's not the way it should be." 
 
 Franklin did most of her extensive touring by bus after Redding's death in a 1967 plane crash, and a rough flight to Detroit in 1982 left her with a fear of flying that anti-anxiety tapes and classes couldn't help. She told Time in 1998 that the custom bus was a comfortable alternative: "You can pull over, go to Red Lobster. You can't pull over at 35,000 feet." 
 
 She only released a few albums over the past two decades, including "A Rose is Still a Rose," which featured songs by Sean "Diddy" Combs, Lauryn Hill and other contemporary artists, and "So Damn Happy," for which Franklin wrote the gratified title ballad. Franklin's autobiography, "Aretha: From These Roots," came out in 1999, when she was in her 50s. But she always made it clear that her story would continue. 
 
 "Music is my thing, it's who I am. I'm in it for the long run," she told The Associated Press in 2008. "I'll be around, singing, 'What you want, baby I got it.' Having fun all the way." 
 
 ___ 
 
 AP National Writer Hillel Italie in New York contributed to this report. ||||| Louis Farrakhan, from left, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and former President Bill Clinton attend the funeral service for Aretha Franklin at Greater Grace Temple, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018, in Detroit.... (Associated Press) 
 
 Louis Farrakhan, from left, Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and former President Bill Clinton attend the funeral service for Aretha Franklin at Greater Grace Temple, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018, in Detroit. Franklin died Aug. 16, 2018 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 76. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (Associated Press) 
 
 DETROIT (AP) — The Latest on the funeral for soul legend Aretha Franklin (all times local): 
 
 2:30 p.m. 
 
 Bill Clinton memorialized Aretha Franklin as a woman with "breathtaking talent" who kept on charming audiences despite her illness. 
 
 The former president recalled being an "Aretha groupie" all his life and being thrilled to meet her backstage at her last public performance, a benefit in Harlem for Elton John's AIDS charity last year. She was "gaunt" but went on to perform for 45 minutes. 
 
 "How you doing, baby?" she asked him. 
 
 "I'm doing better now," Clinton replied. 
 
 The former president also asked the audience to forgive him, saying he was happy that Franklin's casket was still open when he arrived because he just had to see what she was wearing. 
 
 Clinton said, "I wonder what my friend has got on today. I wanted to see what the girl was carrying out," to a wave of laughs and claps from the crowd. Franklin was wearing a gold gown, her fourth outfit of the week. 
 
 He ended his time by playing Franklin's "Think" on his iPhone into the mic. "It's the key to freedom!" Clinton said. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:40 p.m. 
 
 Aretha Franklin's family members have paid tribute to a woman who cooked for them, gossiped with them and passed on her gifts to them. 
 
 Victorie Franklin, a granddaughter, said at the Queen of Soul's funeral that she will always cherish being part of Franklin's legacy, recognizing parts of her grandmother in her. 
 
 "Nothing sounded better to me than my grandmother's voice," said Victorie. "Her voice brought peace." 
 
 Grandson Jordan directed his remarks directly to Aretha, frequently stopping to fight back tears. "I'm sad today, because I'm losing my friend, but I know the imprint she left on this world can never be removed. You showed the world God's love, and there's nothing more honorable." 
 
 Aretha's son, Edward, sang "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" by Marvin Gaye. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:10 p.m. 
 
 Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush didn't attend Aretha Franklin's funeral but they sent messages to honor the Queen of Soul. 
 
 Obama, in a statement read by the Rev. Al Sharpton, hailed Franklin for reflecting "very best of the American story." Her music, he said, "captured some of our deepest human desires, namely affection and respect." 
 
 Bush's statement, read by Franklin friend Barbara Sampson, called Franklin "a woman of achievement with a deep character and a loving heart" who made "lasting contributions to American music with her gospel-inspired style and distinctive voice." 
 
 Former President Bill Clinton was in attendance and is slated to speak later. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:40 p.m. 
 
 Ariana Grande and the Rev. Al Sharpton have memorialized Aretha Franklin in words and song. 
 
 Sharpton recalled Franklin's activist side, noting she raised money for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and created "the soundtrack of the civil rights movement." 
 
 "She gave us pride. She gave us a regal bar to reach," Sharpton said. "She represented the best in our community." 
 
 Sharpton also took aim at President Donald Trump for saying that Franklin once worked for him. "She performed for you," he said. "She worked for us." 
 
 Earlier, Ariana Grande sang "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." 
 
 Bishop Charles H. Ellis said after the song that he felt old because when he saw "Ariana Grande on the program, I thought it was a new something at Taco Bell," but said he now owed her some respect. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:15 p.m. 
 
 Faith Hill honored Aretha Franklin by singing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" during the Queen of Soul's funeral. 
 
 Hill's performance got Bill Clinton, the Rev. Jess Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton up on their feet. Many in the audience of the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit also stood as Hill belted out the hymn. 
 
 Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan also took to the podium to announce a proposal to rename the city's waterfront Chene Park after Franklin. 
 
 The mayor said: "When Aretha Franklin sang, it sounded like the voice of Detroit." 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:50 a.m. 
 
 Aretha Franklin's body has been covered in shimmering fabric and her casket has been closed, with shouts of, "Hallelujah!" coming from the audience. 
 
 Family members surrounded the Queen of Soul's gold casket as it closed on Friday morning, marking the formal start of her funeral. 
 
 The Rev. Jesse Jackson comforted actress Cicely Tyson and Franklin's family members comforted one another. 
 
 Bishop Charles H. Ellis of Greater Grace Temple in Detroit began speaking nearly two hours after the ceremony had been slated to begin. 
 
 The church's choir sang "Walk in the Light" as Ellis encouraged the congregation to sing along. 
 
 Ellis said, "It took a little time to get in here, but I believe the queen wouldn't have had it any other way." He said everyone present would get a program, and joked they were likely to be available soon on eBay. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:15 a.m. 
 
 The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has been honored at London's Buckingham Palace on the day of her funeral in Detroit. 
 
 The official residence of Queen Elizabeth II became an unlikely setting for a rendition of Franklin's "Respect" played by the Welsh Guards Band during the popular Changing of the Guard ceremony Friday. 
 
 The soul music may have startled tourists expecting British pomp and ceremony Friday from the Welsh Guards, who were wearing traditional red military jackets topped by high bearskin hats. 
 
 The Army tweeted that it wanted to pay tribute to a "musical icon and inspiration." 
 
 ___ 
 
 11 a.m. 
 
 The Queen of Soul's funeral is underway. 
 
 A processional of Aretha Franklin's family and other loved ones is filling the aisles of the Greater Grace Temple on Friday morning in her hometown of Detroit. 
 
 The church's choir sang Franklin's "Say a Little Prayer" and her version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" as mourners arrived. When the diva's family arrived, the song was "You Are The Source of My Strength." 
 
 They filed past and paid their respects at Franklin's open casket, where they saw her wearing a sparkling full-length gold dress with sequined heels — her fourth and final outfit of the week. 
 
 Many in the pews ignored repeated calls of no phones permitted to take selfies with former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton as they filed in. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:40 a.m. 
 
 Ariana Grande and her fiance, Pete Davidson, walked arm-in-arm and chatted with dignitaries like Bill Clinton before the funeral for Aretha Franklin. 
 
 The singer, who is scheduled to perform at the ceremony, and the "Saturday Night Live" cast member entered Detroit's Greater Grace Temple smiling on Friday and posed for photos. They even shared a brief kiss on the stage. 
 
 Others from the world of show biz seen in the church included Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill, Tyler Perry and Jenifer Lewis. 
 
 The start of the service — intended to begin at 10 a.m. — was delayed. Franklin's white hearse arrived more than two hours before the service was scheduled to start. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:15 a.m. 
 
 In the moments before Aretha Franklin's funeral, dignitaries filled Detroit's Greater Grace Temple. 
 
 Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Tyler Perry, Whoppi Goldberg, Stevie Wonder, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Faith Hill, T.D. Jakes, Jennifer Holliday, Jesse Jackson, Omarosa Manigault Newman, Rep. Maxine Waters, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan were all spotted. 
 
 Floral arrangements from such singers as Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett and from the family of Otis Redding were set up in a hallway outside the sanctuary. 
 
 Other bouquets were sent from the Jackson family, the Dance Theater of Harlem, the Whispers, Atlantic Records, Elton John, Mariah Carey, Ray Charles, Tom Joyner, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Don King, and Diana Ross. 
 
 Franklin's white hearse arrived more than two hours before the service was scheduled to start. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:45 a.m. 
 
 Aretha Franklin is dressed in a sparkling full-length gold dress with sequined heels for her final outfit. 
 
 Mourners got a glimpse of the Queen of Soul before her funeral Friday during an open casket viewing at the Greater Grace Temple. The gold dress is the fourth outfit Franklin has worn during a week of events leading up to her funeral. 
 
 Franklin was dressed head to heel in red for her first public viewing on Tuesday, a nod to her membership in the sorority Delta Sigma Theta. She wore a baby blue dress on Wednesday and a rose gold gown for a viewing Thursday at the Detroit church where her father was the longtime pastor. 
 
 Numerous floral arrangements from celebrities including Sam Moore, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand and the family of Otis Redding were set up in a hallwayoutside the sanctuary. 
 
 Moore's arrangement included a card that read, "You know I always adored and loved you to bits and pieces ... Even when we would fuss." 
 
 ___ 
 
 8 a.m. 
 
 Aretha Franklin's body has arrived at a Detroit church where her funeral is being held Friday. 
 
 Franklin's white hearse arrived more than two hours before the service is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Eastern. 
 
 Fans have been lined up for hours outside the Greater Grace Temple awaiting the chance to attend the service, which will feature performances by Stevie Wonder, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson and speeches by former President Bill Clinton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Smokey Robinson. 
 
 Among those honoring Franklin Friday are about two dozen owners of Pink Cadillacs who arrived at the church early Friday. The tribute is a nod to Franklin's funky '80s tune, "Freeway of Love," which prominently featured the car in the lyrics and video. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12 a.m. 
 
 Organizers of Aretha Franklin's funeral insist it will be a spirit-filled service, not a show. Yet there's no denying the star-power attending the Queen of Soul's final send-off. 
 
 The speakers at Friday's invitation-only funeral at Detroit's Greater Grace Temple include former President Bill Clinton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Smokey Robinson. Singers include Steve Wonder, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Faith Hill and Chaka Khan. 
 
 Greater Grace's Bishop Charles Ellis III says he wants all — even the famous — to leave with a "spiritual awakening." 
 
 Still, the get-down and uplift can certainly coexist. 
 
 Another performer, gospel artist Marvin Sapp, expects "an eye-opening experience." He adds the "dearly departed" want a celebration to mark their transition "from this life to a better one." 
 
 Franklin died Aug. 16 of pancreatic cancer at 76.
– Americans were reminded of one more thing to be thankful for on Thursday: Aretha Franklin. In what caused a "Twitter meltdown," per CBS Sports, Franklin sang the national anthem ahead of the Detroit Lions' game against the Minnesota Vikings and stretched the song into an incredible "4-minute, 35-second-long church spiritual," per NBC News. The national anthem performance at the Super Bowl is typically expected to take about two minutes. One Twitter user joked that "I cooked my whole turkey, ate, and did the dishes" during the performance, while another said it was a wonder Franklin didn't get a delay of game penalty. At one point in the game, CBS even included Franklin in a graphic showing time of possession on the field. But fans at the stadium were thrilled, applauding several times throughout the performance, per People. The Lions went on to win the game 16-13.