Fans held a vigil at Aretha Franklin’s birth home in Memphis to celebrate her life Friday, following her funeral in Detroit.
Students from the Stax Music Academy sang Franklin’s “Say a Little Prayer” outside the South Memphis home.
Dozens of people were there as faith leaders prayed and called the home where Franklin was born a special place.
In the crowd there were fans and one woman who remembers spending summers with Franklin as children in Buffalo, New York.
“She was an awesome person. She was a beautiful person and like I say I wish I could’ve known her better longer,” Charlotte Blassingame Rushin, a childhood friend.
“She was a great role model and I love her, so I had to come down here. I’ve been here three times already, so I had to come here for the vigil,” said fan Janice Lewis.
Speakers at vigil also called on continued efforts to preserve Franklin’s first home as a testament to her story and humble beginning.
