Aretha Franklin ‘a diva to the end’

In the series of public, open-casket viewing prior to her burial, Aretha Franklin—who passed away at 76 due to pancreatic cancer last month—was dressed by her loved ones in different fabulous ensembles befitting a music royalty.

At the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, which attracted hundreds of supporters wishing to pay their final respects, the Queen of Soul wore a “ruby red dress made of lace” with matching five-inch Christian Louboutin leather pumps, during the first day, according to USA Today. The next day, she was put in a powder blue dress.

“What we wanted to do was something reflective of the Queen. It’s beautiful. She’s beautiful,” Wright Museum board member Kelly Major Green said of the public viewing. “The Queen of Soul is a diva to the end.”

She was laid in “a solid bronze Promethean casket with a 24-karat gold plate.”

Meanwhile, at the final viewing, at the New Bethel Baptist Church, Aretha wore a rose-gold knit suit. Her shoes were also of the same color. She also had on pink South Sea pearl necklace and earrings, according to the Detroit Free Press. —ALLAN POLICARPIO