Black History
Celebrities pay tribute to Aretha Franklin
ROLLINGOUT.COM — Aretha Franklin was honored at a star-studded tribute concert.
By Rollingout.com
Aretha Franklin was honored at a star-studded tribute concert.
A hoard of A-list celebrities, including Alicia Keys and Celine Dion, took the stage to pay homage to the late Franklin — who died last year at the age of 76 after a battle with pancreatic cancer — to relive the Queen of Soul’s biggest hits in a live tribute concert.
Certain family members, including her grandson who spoke at her funeral, attended the event, which was held in Los Angeles and hosted by filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry.
Jennifer Hudson, who will star in Franklin’s biopic, Respect, kicked off the tribute performing “Think” followed by Keys, 37, performing a duet of “Day Dreaming” with singer-songwriter SZA, who said she was “blessed” to be there.
Dion received a standing ovation for her rendition of “A Change is Gonna Come,” while Fantasia, Andra Day, Brandi Carlile and Alessia Cara came together to sing “Natural Woman.”
Common and Yolanda Adams performed “Young, Gifted and Black,” although the rapper inserted his own politically charged rap lyrics into the 1972 hit.
Smokey Robinson took a moment to remember the soul legend while on stage, adding: “She was a gifted songwriter, a fantastic musician and a great formidable activist. For me, she was my little sister who I loved so much. I still love her so much. But she’s gone home now to be with her father. I believe she has been reunited with her entire
immediate family.”
Other performers included Shirley Caesar, Kelly Clarkson, Chloe X Halle, H.E.R., John Legend and BeBe Winans.
The tribute was put on by the Recording Academy and music mogul Clive Davis, who insisted that “there will never ever be another Aretha Franklin.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the tribute concert was held Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, and taped for broadcast on CBS in March.
This article originally appeared in Rollingout.com.
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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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