DETROIT — Watch Aretha Franklin's funeral Friday at 9:30 a.m. streaming LIVE on wsbtv.com and on our apps.
Only an icon, who impacted the world as powerfully as Aretha Franklin did, could warrant something as grand as a five-and-a-half-hour funeral.
The program was released on Wednesday night.
Former President Bill Clinton, civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson and William Barber, activist Al Sharpton and entertainers Smokey Robinson and Tyler Perry are among the nearly 40 speakers scheduled to speak.
Gospel greats Shirley Caesar, the Clark Sisters and Yolanda Adams, will sing. Along with at least 20 musical performances, including Chaka Khan, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande, Ron Isley and Faith Hill.
Atlanta's Jasper Williams Jr., the pastor of Salem Baptist Church, will deliver the eulogy as he did for her father, the Rev. C.L. Franklin, at his funeral in 1984.
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Franklin, who died earlier this month at the age of 76, will be remembered for her talent, grit and determination by some of the biggest names in politics, religion, activism and of course, music.
The services will be lead by Bishop Charles H. Ellis III and Rev. Robert Smith Jr., and will begin around 9:30 a.m. Eastern with a performance by the Aretha Franklin Orchestra, according to the official program.
After a processional and some prayers, the musical tributes begin -- and there are a slew of legends turning out for the undisputed "Queen of Soul." Faith Hill will be one of the first to pay homage just before 11 a.m., followed by Ariana Grande.
Later in the morning, mourners will hear from family members, as relatives Vaughn, Cristal, Victorie and Jordan Franklin take the podium, followed by a musical tribute from Aretha's son Edward and an official reading of her obituary by her niece, Sabrina Owens, at 11:45 a.m.
But the hits will keep on coming -- as President Bill Clinton is scheduled to offer personal remarks at noon, followed by Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Tyler Perry, Cicely Tyson and Clive Davis.
Finally, the day comes to a close at 3 p.m., but not before Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson performs a sermonic selection and the incomparable Stevie Wonder offers up his own musical tribute. The final performance will come from none other than Broadway great Jennifer Holliday.
The celebration will end a week-long tribute to Franklin, which included droves of fans descending on Detroit to observe the "Queen" lying in repose at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on Tuesday and Wednesday.
FINAL Program for Service by Clickon Detroit on Scribd