Aretha Franklin's funeral on August 31

Legendary singer Aretha Franklin's funeral will be held on August 31 in her hometown of Detroit.

The late singer's publicist Gwendolyn Quinn on Friday said that the funeral, to be held at Greater Grace Temple, is limited to the family and friends of the 'Queen of Soul', reports hollywoodreporter.com.

Public viewings will take place on August 28-29 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

Franklin will be entombed at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, along with her father C.L. Franklin, sisters Carolyn Franklin and Erma Franklin, brother Cecil Franklin and nephew Thomas Garrett.

Franklin died on Thursday at her home in Detroit from pancreatic cancer. She was 76.

In a professional career that spanned more than half a century, Franklin's songs were not just chart-toppers, but also gave out a message.

Her song "Respect" was a call to arms, while "(You make me feel like) A natural woman" was an earthy expression of sexuality and "Think" was a rallying cry for women fed up with loutish men. She even won a Golden Globe award for "Never gonna break my faith".

As the first woman admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she had 88 Billboard chart hits during the rock era, the top among female vocalists. At the peak of her career -- from 1967 to 1975 -- she had more than two dozen Top 40 hits.

--IANS

sug/rb/bg