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A Final Farewell To Aretha Franklin, Homegoing To Fuse Spirit With Star Power

DETROIT (AP) —Aretha Franklin's body has arrived at a Detroit church where her funeral is being held Friday.

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The casket of Aretha Franklin arrives at the Greater Grace Temple in advance of her funeral on August 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

Franklin's white hearse arrived more than two hours before the service is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Fans have been lined up for hours outside the Greater Grace Temple awaiting the chance to attend the service, which will feature performances by Stevie Wonder, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson and speeches by former President Bill Clinton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Smokey Robinson.

Fans Of Soul Legend Aretha Franklin Pay Their Respects As Her Body Lies In Repose In Detroit
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 30: Rev. Jesse Jackson greets fans of Aretha Franklin who were gathered outside of the New Bethel Baptist Church, the church once ministered by Franklin's father Rev. C.L. Franklin, for a final public viewing of the late soul singers remains on August 30, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. Franklin's funeral will be held Friday at Greater Grace Temple. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Among those honoring Franklin Friday are about two dozen owners of Pink Cadillacs who arrived at the church early Friday. The tribute is a nod to Franklin's funky '80s tune, "Freeway of Love," which prominently featured the car in the lyrics and video.

Organizers of Aretha Franklin's funeral insist it will be a service, not a show. Yet the Queen of Soul's final send-off on Friday certainly will encompass many elements, emotions and grand entrances that were hallmarks of her more than six decades on sacred and secular stages.

RELATED: Latest: Aretha Franklin's Viewing, Body Moved From The Charles H. Wright Museum

And it boasts a lineup of speakers and singers that would rival any of the hottest revues, past or present.

Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life - An All-Star GRAMMY Salute - Jennifer Hudson

To be sure, the funeral at Detroit's Greater Grace Temple, which caps off a week of events that included high-profile public viewings and tribute concerts, comes with all-star speakers and performers. Among those offering words will be former President Bill Clinton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Smokey Robinson. Songs will be provided by Stevie Wonder, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Faith Hill, Shirley Caesar, Chaka Khan and more.

The street outside Greater Grace will be lined with pink Cadillacs — a nod to Franklin's funky '80s tune, "Freeway of Love," which prominently featured the car in the lyrics and video. Her casket has been carried this week by a 1940 Cadillac LaSalle hearse that also took Franklin's father, legendary minister C.L. Franklin, and civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks to their final resting places at Woodlawn Cemetery, where the singer will join them.

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A pink Cadillac owned by Stuart Popp is seen outside the viewing of Aretha Franklin at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on August 28, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. - Aretha Franklin passed away from advanced pancreatic cancer on August 16, 2018 at age 76. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

Bishop Charles Ellis III of Greater Grace knows well of the boldface guest list and surrounding pomp and circumstance, but he has a higher mission in mind for the service that may well exceed five hours.

"It is my goal and my aim to ensure that people leave here with some kind of spiritual awakening," Ellis said. "This is not a concert, this is not a show, this is not an awards production. This is a real life that has been lived, that a person regardless of how famous she became no matter how many people she touched around the world, she still could not escape death. And hopefully, a lot of people here with money and fame and influence and friends and notoriety and wealth, hopefully they will think of their mortality and say there is something bigger than fame, there is something bigger than Hollywood, something bigger than being a recording artist and selling gold albums or what have you."

Of course, some get-down and lift-up need not be mutually exclusive.

RELATED: The Latest: Franklin Dressed In Rose Gold For Church Viewing, Homegoing A Celebration Of Black Culture

"I really believe that this ... is going to be an eye-opening experience for everybody in the world watching," said gospel artist Marvin Sapp, also among the scheduled performers. "We really celebrate because we really recognize that those we call the dearly departed, they wouldn't want for us to cry and be sad and sorrowful. But they would want us to celebrate their lives because they transitioned from this life to a better one."

Aretha Franklin Tribute Concert
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 30: Atmosphere at a Tribute Concert to celebrate the life of songstress Aretha Franklin at Chene Park on August 30, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

Sapp wouldn't reveal what he will perform Friday, but said every song is one picked out by Franklin. Robinson also didn't share what he will say, but that's for a different reason.

"I do not plan anything (with) someone I love like that," Robinson, a Motown great who grew up with Franklin, told The Associated Press. "I love her. She was my longest friend."

Robinson said he will just make it "personal," since he remained close with Franklin until the end. He said they "talked all the time," the last just a couple weeks before she became too ill to speak.

"We saw all of our other close friends go," Robinson said. "We used to talk about that — we saw a lot of soldiers go."

Aretha Franklin Tribute Concert
DETROIT, MI - AUGUST 30: Singer Kimmie Horne performs on stage at a Tribute Concert to celebrate the life of songstress Aretha Franklin at Chene Park on August 30, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

Amid the sadness of these days, Robinson can find uplift — and believes Franklin's legacy is secure. A new generation of singers like Grande who are inspired by the late Queen of Soul is just the beginning.

"There are some girls who haven't been born yet ... who will be inspired by Aretha," he said.

Sabrina Owens, Franklin's niece, told the AP she started putting thoughts to paper about events earlier this year as her aunt's health failed. Since Franklin's Aug. 16 death at 76, Owens said a close group she described as "Aretha's angels" have "worked tirelessly" and have been guided by a single question: "What would Aretha want?"

"After all she gave to the world, I felt we needed to give her an appropriate send-off that would match her legacy," Owens said.

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Associated Press writers Josh Replogle and Kristin M. Hall contributed to this report.

© 2018 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 

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