The late Queen of Soul was dressed in a red suit and crimson pumps on Tuesday Late Aretha Franklin Was Dressed in Powder Blue in Second Outfit Change for Public Viewing Aretha Franklin laid in repose in a different outfit for the final public open-casket viewing before her funeral. On Wednesday, the late Queen of Soul was dressed in a powder blue dress and matching shoes in a bronze casket, a change from the red suit and crimson pumps she wore in a gold-plated casket on Tuesday. Get push notifications with news, features and more. On the inside of the lid embroidered into the fabric is “Aretha Franklin the Queen of Soul.” The second day of Franklin’s public viewing was once again streamed from the rotunda of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. “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,” Franklin’s family said in a statement. aretha-franklin Credit: D Dipasupil/FilmMagic RELATED VIDEO: Inside the Amazing, Private Life of Aretha Franklin “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. 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. “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,” the statement concluded. Aretha Franklin, Detroit, USA - 28 Aug 2018 Aretha Franklin | Credit: Paul Sancya/AP/REX/Shutterstock<doc-sep>“I heard people say she looks so beautiful and peaceful like she’s sleeping,” Ms. Upshaw said. “She’s a fashion icon! What else would we expect?” Ms. Upshaw noted that Ms. Franklin’s crimson outfit on Tuesday had been a nod to her honorary membership in the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, “which is perfect,” Ms. Upshaw said, “because her sorority sisters came that night to pay her final respects.” It was not only the elaborate beauty of Ms. Franklin’s outfits that were a nod to another era. Bess Lovejoy, the author of “Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses,” said that the procession that attended her funeral, with its motorcade of pink Cadillacs, reminded her of nothing so much as the burial of Alexander the Great. Alexander, she said, had the prototypical celebrity funeral, with a glittering hearse that was meant to resemble a palace. “There were years and years of dignitaries coming to see him, even though he would not be preserved with the skill that Aretha was,” she said. “There’s a story about Julius Caesar going to see him and accidentally crumpling his nose off.” Indeed, even the efforts taken in embalming Ms. Franklin were a reflection of the period over which she ruled, fitting into a great tradition of skillful embalming at African-American funeral homes. Stephanie Simon, the embalming manager at the Charbonnet-Labat Funeral Home in New Orleans, which is known for elaborate preparations and display of clients’ family members, answered the phone Friday from the embalming room, where she was listening to Ms. Franklin’s funeral service. “African-Americans, we tend to hold a body a little longer,” she said of the tradition of embalming. “We want all of the relatives and friends to come from around the country. We would like them to attend the service as well.”<doc-sep>For her funeral, Aretha Franklin wore gold, a fitting color for the Queen of Soul to wear as mourners their final respects to the Detroit icon. She was dressed in a sparkling full-length gold dress with sequined heels for her final outfit — the fourth outfit Franklin has worn during a week of events leading up to her funeral. Former President Bill Clinton joked about Franklin's wardrobe changes during his speech at Franklin's funeral and asked the audience to forgive him, saying he was happy that her 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.," he said. "I wanted to see what the girl was carrying out." More on freep.com: 8 hours of respect, honor for Aretha Franklin Here is the Aretha Franklin funeral program, and it's epic Live stream: Funeral for the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin On Tuesday, at Detroit's Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Queen of Soul wore 5-inch patent leather Christian Louboutin pumps that matched a tea-length ruby red dress made of lace — with a full tulle skirt and chiffon overlay. On Wednesday, at the Charles Wright, it was a powder blue dress and matching shoes. For the final public viewing, at New Bethel Baptist Church, Aretha Franklin was dressed in a rose gold custom knit suit with pink beaded lace. She also wore a specially made pink South Seas pearl necklace and earrings. Her shoes were rose gold sequin Louboutin heels. >>Aretha Franklin funeral: The celebrities that sent flowers Associated Press contributed to this story. Contact Amy Huschka at ahuschka@freepress.com or follow on Twitter at @aetmanshuschka.<doc-sep>Aretha Franklin is being treated like the queen she is, as fans continue to pay their final respects to the legendary singer with public viewings in Detroit, Michigan. On Wednesday, the second day of her public viewing, Franklin proved she's forever glamorous with an outfit change. The late singer wore a powder blue sparkly dress with open-toed silver sparkling shoes, a change from Monday's outfit when she was clad in Christian Louboutin red leather pumps and a lace red dress. Franklin is expected to have more outfit changes ahead of her funeral on Friday. PAUL SANCYA/AFP/Getty Images The number of flower arrangements opposite Franklin's casket has also doubled on the second day of her viewing at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. And of course, the 24-karat gold casket is appropriate for Franklin's incredible legacy. The casket is lined with champagne velvet and her name "Aretha Franklin" is embroidered in gold metallic thread with "Queen of Soul" beneath. Jeff Kowalsky/Getty Images ET spoke to Bishop Charles H. Ellis, III, pastor of Greater Grace Temple, who will serve as officiant for Frankin's funeral -- with the Rev. Robert Smith, Jr., Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, as co-officiant -- taking place on Friday. The service will be limited to family, friends, dignitaries and special guests and is set to be a star-studded affair. Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson -- who's playing Franklin in an upcoming biopic -- are just two of the superstars singing at the funeral, and Oprah Winfrey, LeBron James and Whoopi Goldberg are all confirmed to attend. Ellis told ET that the church -- which seats 4,000 people -- will be filled "wall to wall." He also shared there will be 16 or 17 performances total, with a full choir of 120 singers opening. Hudson is closing the funeral with a performance of "Climbing Higher Mountains." "And I've said to the family that Ms. Franklin, she played to a full and packed house everywhere she went," Ellis explains to ET's Nischelle Turner. "This was her last presentation; it's got to be wall to wall." "It's wonderful to live your life that when you are no longer here -- that individuals feel you made that great impression on them, you meant that much to them, that they will do anything they can to move heaven and earth just to get where you are just to pay respects," he continues. "That's an awesome thing." Ellis says the funeral will be a joyous celebration of the late singer's life. "There will be some laughing, some tears, some joy, some sorrow," he shares. "I think there will be some up hands clapping and feet dancing. I think it's going to be a very jubilant experience." "I think at the end of the day, I feel it is my task as an officiant to make sure that we maintain a spiritual encounter here," he also tells ET. "Because at the end of the day, hearing the conclusion of the whole matter is regardless of how famous you are, regardless of how many lives you touched, regardless of how much money you have or how many GRAMMYs or gold records you've been able to achieve, we all can't escape death, so at the end of the day, we have to make sure our life mattered and we did something that was pleasing to go in some sort of way." Franklin died on Aug. 16 from pancreatic cancer. She was 76. For more on her incredible life and legacy, watch the video below: -- Reporting by Angelique Jackson Aretha Franklin: A Look at the Queen of Soul's Lifetime of Work This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page. RELATED CONTENT: Taylor Swift Pays Tribute to Aretha Franklin With Moment of Silence During Detroit Show Aretha Franklin Fans Pay Their Final Respects to Singer With Public Viewings in Detroit Aretha Franklin's Friend Gladys Knight Shares What People Didn’t Know About the Queen of Soul (Exclusive) Related Gallery<doc-sep>
Aretha Franklin Wears Rose Gold Gown in Third Outfit Change for Last Viewing Before Funeral Aretha Franklin was laid in a third outfit during the final public open-casket viewing before her funeral on Friday. On Thursday, the late Queen of Soul was dressed in a rose gold St. John’s gown and gold Christian Louboutin heels, as first reported by Entertainment Tonight, for the last viewing at the place where she got her start: the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. This marks her third outfit change this week for the casket viewing services which began on Monday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. She wore a red suit and matching Christian Louboutin pumps in a gold-plated casket. Aretha Franklin, Detroit, USA - 28 Aug 2018 Credit: Paul Sancya/AP/REX/Shutterstock On Wednesday, Franklin was laid in a powder blue dress and matching shoes in a bronze casket. “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,” Franklin’s family said in a statement. Aretha Franklin Portrait Session Credit: Harry Langdon/Getty “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. 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. Photo of Aretha FRANKLIN Credit: David Redfern/Redferns “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,” the statement concluded.