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Watch Live: Aretha Franklin's Funeral In Detroit

Aretha Franklin preforms at the Lincoln Memorial for President Clinton's inaugural gala on January 17, 1993.
Mark Reinstein / Corbis
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Getty Images
Aretha Franklin preforms at the Lincoln Memorial for President Clinton's inaugural gala on January 17, 1993.

Detroit is celebrating the life of Aretha Franklin on Friday, August 31. Watch it live here.

Over two dozen people -- including heads of state, a record mogul, and music legends of nearly every description -- are taking the stage of the Greater Grace Temple to speak, sing and pray in honor of the gift that Franklin so readily shared with the world.

Franklin was dressed in a sparkling full-length gold dress with sequined heels. Mourners got a glimpse of her during an open casket viewing at the Greater Grace Temple.

Numerous floral arrangements from celebrities including Sam Moore, Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand and the family of Otis Redding were set up in a hallway outside 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." Franklin's white hearse arrived more than two hours before the service is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

Fans lined up for hours outside the Greater Grace Temple awaiting the chance to attend the service, which is featuring 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 were about two dozen owners of Pink Cadillacs who arrived at the church early Friday. The tribute is a nod to Franklin's '80s tune, "Freeway of Love," which prominently featured the car in the lyrics and video.

Organizers of Aretha Franklin's funeral insisted 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.

Greater Grace's Bishop Charles Ellis III said he wants all -- even the famous -- to leave with a "spiritual awakening."

Franklin died August 16 of pancreatic cancer at 76.

This report includes information from The Associated Press.

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