You know, god didnt give us the words to capture what her voice did to us and for us. But we have her music, and were going to listen all through the show as her artistry and her Political Action are remembered by those who witnessed her magic. Reverend Jesse Jackson was by her side during civil rights battles and for her final battle just yesterday. He joins us tonight. Plus she threatened to release more tapes and today omarosa did. Were going to play what she offers and see what it proves. And the president continues to try to distract from news he doesnt like by playing power games with security clearances. He Just Announced hes preparing to pull more. Whose and why . What do you say . Its a special night. Lets get after it. Too soon. We all know that. But it was always going to be too soon to lose Aretha Franklin. Pancreatic cancer took a National Treasure today. Take a listen. You make me feel like a natural woman freedom, Freedom Freedom, freedom what you want, baby i got it what you need, you know i got it all im asking every time you hear it, youve got to move. Aretha franklin died at home in detroit this morning at the age of 76. A voice from god. Whether you believe or not, you know her talent was unusually inspired. A range that expanded far beyond the music industry, but she was not an entertainer. She was a cultural icon. She was a soul speaker. She used song and a stubborn resistance to the limitations of society to motivate racial justice, equality, and of course stau respect. Jesse jackson, one icon comforting another. I always love to see you sir. Im sad its for this reason tonight. Its fair so say the earth lost a lot of music today and heaven must be excited because it has a new lead singer for the gospel choir. That is true. If anybody has a voice that can lift with the angels, we know it was aretha. Tell us, how was she at the end . Did you get a sense of peace for her . Well, she was at peace, you know. She battled this cancer since about 2005, really almost 15 years and she just struggled with it. I think in the poetic sense, while she did a last farewell to detroit last summer, a big event at a church where they named a boulevard after her father in choig, a chicago, and then with elton john, her battling with cancer to help people fighting aids. She did an aids concert with elton john. That says a lot about aretha. You spent a lifetime fighting some of the toughest fights our society has seen. Ive heard stories from you and Harry Belafonte about how you were Standing Shoulder to shoulder not with dr. King but with Aretha Franklin and how she helped the cause with more than just her voice. What do you want people to know . Her father was an iconic minister, the reverend c. L. Franklin. For a long time, she was reverend franklins daughter. He was a huge star in his own right. She brought that talent out of that cultural situation. But also in the sense of she had a dignity level. When she first began, one sunday night reverend franklin said, im going to introduce my daughter to sing tonight. She sang never roll. And from never roll, she became a star. And then ave maria, the other extreme. Then the two records on columbia, one dedicated to dinah washington, and then highway, and then respect. Giving platforms. She couldnt make it our Convention Last summer. A tremendous opera artist. Her range was from juilliard to the small church. She was a gift that never stopped gifting. 60 years of singing. What do you want people to remember about her . We know the talent. You have generations of people in this country will hear the music. Generations to come will appreciate it. But she was more than what she put out there with her voice. What kind of achievements to you think people should remember about the legacy she leaves behind . Well, she never used you will not find any arethas music thats selfor race degrading. Whether she was doing the gospel album with reverend cleveland, who was her the director of her fathers choir, doing blues or jazz or gospel, she mastered the whole range of songs. And i think that today for Aretha Franklin and voices like diana ross wouldnt be heard on race. Theyve been pushed off by other qualities of music, oftentimes more degrading and less wholesome. But her sense of social justice. I remember dr. King couldnt make the payroll, and we were struggling. And she and Harry Belafonte did an 11city tour for free. She stepped on the stage in houston, texas. On that stage, dr. King was about to give her a bouquet of flowers. Someone put tear gas in the fan, but she was back the next day. Tough as nails. Tough and yet tender. Then of course she sang at dr. Kings funeral. She never stopped making the occasion. I miss her so much already. Well, we are going to miss her right now. Its funny how life works, reverend, how just in a time when the country is kind of reintroducing itself to what it wants to be about in terms of tolerance and how it wants to treat one another in terms of the complexion of their skin and the content of their character, as dr. King would put it, we lose such a huge voice of a time that we thought we had settled this once and for all. Why . Why do you think we lose someone like aretha . Is it a reminder . Remember that elton john was a multicultural event when she sang last summer. She had a sense of universialit. She felt dignity was nonnegotiable. So i remember that, and of course her cooking. Aretha could cook. Have cook, would eat. Reverend jackson, we could go on all night. I want to give a lot of different angles to this coverage. You are always welcome on this show. Thank you for being wiby your friends side and for being with us tonight. Thank you, sir. Be well, reverend. Big voice. Epic career. Everlasting impact. Up now, how a new generation is learning to hail the queen. She will never die. We going riding on the freeway of love in a pink cadillac it is such a good time to kiss it is such a good time to dance it is such a good time to [ laughing ] scoobidoo doobidoo scoobidoo doobidoo [ goose honking ] [ laughing ] a bad day on the road still beats a good one off it. Progressive helps keep you out there. Let your perfect drive come together at the lincoln summer invitation sales event. Get 0 apr on select 2018 lincoln models plus 1,000 bonus cash. Little things can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not a cream. Its a pill that treats moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. It may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Otezla is associated with. An increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts,. Or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. Tell your doctor about your medicines and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Otezla. Show more of you. Now im gonna tell my momma that im a traveller im gonna follow the sun now im gonna tell my momma that im a traveller transitions™ light under control™ but its tough to gete enough of their nutrients. New one a day with natures medley is the only complete multivitamin with antioxidants from one total serving of fruits and veggies try new one a day with natures medley. We have news tonight, but nothing matters more than this. Aretha franklin is gone. Why talk about the queen of soul when all we have ever needed to do is listen . Freedom, Freedom Freedom, Freedom Freedom she got jake and el wood off her feet. She got an entire generation to do the same. How did it start . A 14yearold who would captivate a gospel church, then a country, and then rally a world for seven decades. She was born march 25th, 1942, in the jim crow south in memphis, tennessee. Gospel music was in her house. It was in her soul. She moved her fathers congregation, who was a big deal preacher in his own right and a big civil rights advocate. So she sang in the church, and a star was born. Listen to more from her early years. Is it in his eyes if you want to know if he loves you so, its in his kis man, she was something special. I always loved watching her play at the same time she sings because you could really see how she was putting it all together, you know. So then what happens . 1961 she releases her first album for columbia records. Now, they did what made sense at the time. They tried to make her like other black ingenues, pushing jazz. But she was not ordinary. Her soul, her connection to gospel would be her glory, natural woman, chain of fools, the iconic smash respect. She turned a cover song into an anthem. It turned number one on the bill boort pop chart. Lets hear some more. All i want you to do for me is give it to me when you get home yeah, baby respect,findoutwhatr it means to me the more she reached inside, the more the masses found in her. In april 1968, she sang at the Memorial Service for dr. Martin luther king jr. June, 1972, she releases a live gospel album Amazing Grace, and this just changed the game. It sold more than 2 million copies. January 1987, she becomes the first woman inducted into the rock roll hall of fame. Then what happens . Well, her pipes start to earn her all types of awards and accolades. She was more than an entertainer. She was a voice. She was a vessel that delivered others to a place of pain and longing and desperation for more and better. Justice. You know, politicians can give a great speech. They can inspire. But what aretha could do was literally transport you, take you somewhere where you could feel the pain, realize the promise of potential change. So powerful, in 1994 she was chosen for the Kennedy Center honors. She was just 52 at the time. Made her one of the youngest people to ever earn that honor. A decade later, president bush 43 awarded her the president ial medal of freedom. She won her 18th and final grammy for best gospel performance for never going to break my faith with mary j. Blige. Have you heard that . You must. 2009, she gave a memorable performance at president obamas first inauguration. You remember that . Take a listen. My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee i sing land where my father died, land of the pilgrims pride from every, every mountainside, let free, freedom, freedom ring imagine the change for her marching in the streets as a young woman, hoping that someday a president would see her as equal, to go to having a president the same skin shade as her own. She never stopped breaking records. In 2014, she became the first woman to earn 100 billboard hits. The next year, she sang Amazing Grace for pope francis during his visit to philadelphia. That was you should have seen the look on his face. We were there covering it. And last november she gave her final Public Performance at a gala for elton johns aids foundation. Let a take a listen. Answer my prayer this is my prayer, my prayer fighting the way she was, her body had changed. She was deep into her battle. But that voice and her spirit could just not be compromised. And today we got a new generation embracing her music, and i want you to hear that. What you want you make me feel, you make me feel like a natural woman you know, you got to hear the next generation taking it up. Thats why the queen will never die. Soul to soul, the music moves on. Maybe, maybe someday we will find another who can reach inside and take us somewhere we would never be able to go otherwise. But for now, there is only one, and her name will live on forever. Thank you, aretha. Were not done celebrating the life of the queen. We have some other news to get to as well. There was another omarosa tape dumped today. Its a different trump on this secret recording. Who it is, what its about, and what it may prove, next. Welcome to at t innovations where we give you more for you thing. And heres where we shrink the biggest names in entertainment so we can fit them into our unlimited wireless plan. Whos first . No. This isnt permanent, right . Ask him. [terry squeals. ] get unlimited data, live tv, and your choice of an extra on us. More for your thing. Thats our thing. Visit att. Com lojust use priceline. Ls on travel . You can save up to 60 on hotels. Thats like 120 a night back in your pocket. Go to priceline to get deals you wont find anywhere else. The president took his revenge on john brennan, and now trump has reportedly told his advisers hes eager to strip more security clearances. This is according to the washington post. This is a story that is just developing now. So lets add it to the great debate. Jennifer granholm and mike shields. Good to see you both here. Mike shields, lets start with you. What practical purpose does this serve . As everybody says, process aside, these are former guys. They havent seen classified information in a long time. How does this punishment wind up promoting the president s interests . Well, look, i think that brennan has done a huge disservice to the men and women in our Intelligence Community. I have tremendous respect for the thousands of men and women who work every day to keep us safe. Im glad to hear democrats finally admitting that these people matter. Theyre now coming to their defense and talking about the Intelligence Community. Theyre right. Its important. And so hold on a second, mike. Did you just say now the democrats are coming to certainly. They were called warmongers during the iraq war when president bush was in office, but now theyre the lionized Intelligence Community we have to protect. I love that. I think thats great. Were bipartisan. We love the Intelligence Community. Thats awesome. People like brennan wait. Hold on. So youre criticizing the democrats for hypocrisy of going after the Intelligence Community and now supporting them, but you say you support the Intelligent Community but have no criticism for the president who has called them the worst things we have ever heard about them. You just ignore that. Let me finish my point. I didnt know you were going to add to it. So guys like brennan coming out as an example for millions of americans to look at and being such a partisan frankly hack, questioning the president s intelligence, talking about things that have nothing to do with intelligence actually, coming on television and just basically being a partisan, thats what people see the Intelligence Community and it allows the attacks on the Intelligence Community because americans go, wait a minute. This guy was inside and he was supposedly keeping us safe. Hes now putting his partisan sou sort of views out there, maybe he was partisan all along. That fosters distrust in the Intelligence Community. What we should have is people that allow partisans like me to come on and talk about politics, and intel guys say, you know what . Im going to put the country first. Im not going to leave the intelligence agencies and become a partisan who attacks the president every day because hes putting into question millions of americans views of this. So, yeah, he got his clearance when you have a security clearance, you know that you could get it ripped away from you if do you stupid things. Im not saying you cant do it. I dont know what practical effect it has other than petty revenge. Jennifer, its interesting mike isnt concerned about the president doing exactly those kinds of things in terms of undermining confidence in the Intelligence Community by telling people not to listen to them, but what do you make of brennan getting his clearance stripped . Well, id like to know from mike what he thinks about admiral mcravens column today coming out and saying that he is he a hack too . That he sides with brennan. Is he a hack in. He said something really interesting in his column. He said leaders should set an example. Exactly right. Dont become partisan when you leave the Intelligence Community. Dont cast aspersions upon people that you should represent. But, see, both of these men have served administrations of both parties. Neither of them have been partisan. But just because not true. Brennan was very partisan when he worked for president obama. Very partisan. Just because they criticize the president , now all of a sudden these are partisan hacks. People who worked for brennan were very clear that he was not a partisan. So you can say it on the outside because he feels a duty now to Say Something to save our country. He feels a moral obligation to step up, which is obviously what admiral mcraven also feels. So does brennan feel a moral obligation to constantly say does brennan feel a moral obligation to constantly say, oh, theres collusion, offering no evidence. There has been no evidence of collusion, but he wants to attack the president. How does that shape americans views of their Intelligence Community that are working very hard to keep us safe every day . It is a smear on them for them to do that. You keep saying that theres no you keep saying as though you know lets can we stipulate that brennan might have more information than you do in and can we also say that even what is known publicly gives somebody the right to say, yes, it appears that the president and the russians were having some sort of exchange, whether it was through intermediaries or not, whether its the wikileaks thing or the meeting at trump tower. For you to say theres absolutely no collusion, no way, when the president was having conversations with people in the white house, with russians in the white house about having gotten rid of that russia thing, so you cant say there was nothing. And he said in his piece today brennan did that he doesnt know whether its criminal criminal conspiracy, and hes not saying that, but that there wasnt any communication is hogwash. But someone who is supposed to be a respected leader this isnt some guy that came off the street how irresponsible it would be for him to say nothing. Collusion, i have no evidence of that. Just im going to say that. Im also good to criticize the president s politics. Im going to criticize him on things that dont pertain to intelligence. If he had stuck to intelligence, then he would have more credibility. But when he start as tacking the president because of his own political views, thats let me give you an example. If there is a ref in the nba and he retires and goes, by the way, i hate the lakers, the lakers are terrible. People might think, wow, when you were a ref, you probably werent giving the lakers a fair shake. I wonder if all the refs were like that. Now all the refs are called into question because of look, i hear you. I love the passion, and i dont think youre wrong, by the way. I do think these intel guys usually hold their tongues for a reason. Right. Because you want to make sure people see that. Of course they have the right, but its about what is right. Exactly. But there is this stench of hypocrisy coming out of because you dont see the president as equally or greater an egregious example of the same ills. The man has pilloried the Intelligence Community from jump in a way weve never seen. He dismisses the reality of russian interference only to the extent that it suits his own personal political aims, and you criticize none of that. But an intel guy, who is far less influential than the president , he says things, and you say hes lacking the fundamental integrity, and hes not dealing with it, and hes undermining the Intelligence Community. But you are not similarly bothered by the president. How not . Because the president is fighting back against these guys and the president is watching things like bruce orr at the fbi, someone who has not been in government and comes in and becomes the president of the United States and watches people not getting investigated for things that were just sort of ignoring that there are legitimate things that need to be investigated so we can have confidence in our intelligence and fbi community. Thats what the president is talking about. Hes not being a partisan hack in the way that john brennan is, someone were supposed to look at with respect as a former intelligence chief. Theres nowhere else to go on that discussion. Mike, i take your position. Its good to have it out there for the audience to process. Omarosa dropped a tape today. Its a very different character and complexion from what we heard before. It sounds a little like obviously that there are some things youve got in this back pocket to pull out. Clearly, if you come on board for the campaign, like, we cant have weve got to oh, no. So the only thing that we have to consider, where were talking salary as far as the campaign is concerned, is that, as you know, everything is public. And that all the money that we raise and that pays salaries is directly from donors, sma dollar donors for the most part. Does that bother you, Jennifer Granholm . Of course. Its another version of the president or his minions trying to silence people. So whether they have to sign ndas, whether they get their security clearances revoked, whether they get paid 15,000 a month in hush money, all of these are versions of the same thing. And i would say that even the discrediting of the media, which we saw the 350 editorials about today, is another version of that. This is a man who ran for president and didnt understand that when you get into the oval office, its about transparency. Its about the people. Its about letting people know, not covering up what you dont want them to know. He says the media is the enemy of the press. Its donald trump who is the wait a minute. Are we talking about the omarosa thing now or did. Its a version of the same thing, mike. You as the former chief of staff for the rnc, my guess is you probably didnt sign off on a bunch of ndas. Actually, im glad you brought that up. Or 15,000 a month contracts from people who were disgruntled. Last word, mike, go ahead. Ive been involved with campaigns for over 20 years. Every time i hired somebody on a campaign, i said, you have to toe the line mabout what the bos believes. You cant go off and say what you think. Not by contract. Thats what not by contract. Absolutely by contract. [ overlapping voices ] you show me ndas. Reporter you paid people for silence and it was about more than classified or you wont show me one. What i would do is i would fire somebody. You would fire someone off your campaign if they started disagreeing with weve got to leave it there. Its about money and silencing people. We got to go. This was helpful. It really was. No, it was. Jennifer, thank you very much. Mike, i like it. Thank you for the respect. Now, were balancing tonight. Hi to get that news in there because its a pivot point politically about whats going on with that. But Aretha Franklin is the main story, okay . Were going to pay tribute. Were doing it in different ways. My next guest spent years trying to score an interview with the legend. Somehow, he was able to earn her respect, and he got more than an interview. He got invited to her 70th birthday party, and he had a real connection. Stories youve never heard about the queen from the good man on your screen, next. With tripadvisor, finding your Perfect Hotel at the lowest price. Is as easy as dates, deals, done simply enter your destination and dates. And see all the hotels for your stay tripadvisor searches over 200 booking sites. To show you the lowest prices. So you can get the best deal on the right hotel for you. Dates, deals, done tripadvisor. Visit tripadvisor. Com our new, hot, fresh breakfast will get you the readiest. buzzer sound holiday inn express. Be the readiest. You make me feel, you make me feel even if you believe in nothing, you feel yourself shouting amen when you listen to aretha. Her voice was declared a precious Natural Resource by the state of michigan. And truly she was like water, air, and sunshine to so many, nourishing something deep inside. No less than tyler perry was one of the so, so many who fed off the queen. He sent this special message for you today. I was at what you were just watching, the Kennedy Center honors, sitting in the box with the obamas. Aretha walked out on the stage to sing natural woman. Her voice filled the room with electricity and soul. After she was done, president obama turned to me and said, thats why she is the queen of soul. The way she uses that voice. I thought about that today. She used her voice to sing us through good times and bad, from assassinations and celebrations, from civil rights to womens rights. I wish more people would use their voice to uplift rather than tear down. Thats the power of using your voice for good. Thats the power of Aretha Franklin. Our thanks to tyler perry and an amen to tyler perry for what he just put out there. The entire statement theres more to hear in that, go to chris cuomo on twitter. Its all there. I want to transition to a journalist who knew and interviewed Aretha Franklin over the last 20 years. He is the wall street journa journals Christopher John farley. Its good to have you on. Im sorry its for this occasion, but its important to remember what she means, especially right now. You couldnt get in the door, kid. How did you finally convince her, i want to talk to you . Shes a hard woman to get to know. For five years, i had to talk to her her people, her handlers, say i want to do this interview, because shed had some sort of issue with Time Magazine before. She hadnt talked to us for about 30 years. But finally she gave me an audience, told me to come down to detroit, meet her at the golden mushroom, a restaurant that since closed. We started early, went late, closed the restaurant down. She started off with a handshake, ended with a hug. We were conversing like we were old college chums. It was just beautiful. What did you learn . One thing i learned is that shes not just about pain. People always talk about the pain she went through, the struggles, all that. She told me at one point that, you know, her music wasnt just about pain and troubles. She drew from all kinds of things. She wasnt just this singular dimensional person, that she did soul. She did rock. Shed do any kind of music that came down the pike, that she saw herself as a singer who could tackle it all. She was very ambitious. She thought a lot of her music. She thought a lot about herself, and you could hear it in the way she talked to you and in the music that she put out. So powerful she made italians paint cadillacs pink. In terms of cultural resonance, her being called an icon, thats not hype. She had a hit record in every decade of her pop career. So she had longevity going for her. Music is one of the best things we do in america. I mean we invented ragtime and jazz and blues and rock and rap. When you think of the great voices america has ever put out, shes at the top of the list. Thats saying something. The thing that we do best as americans in terms of art, she was the best at it. And she wasnt just a singer. She was a terrific pianist. She told me once she was thinking about putting out an album of instrumentals. She was a great arranger. If you listen to the Amazing Grace, can see the talent she has in arranging. She was also someone who i think had a vision for her music, for her albums. She tackled new things every time. She had a vision for us. I mean artists, of course. Activist. Especially we were talking before we started. Right now we lose aretha . Not arguably when you would need her most, but we are in such a critical time and her powers would have been so persuasive in this moment. Heres the thing. I dont think weve lost her. A lot of time when performers like Aretha Franklin pass on, people say well never see their like again. Not the case with Aretha Franklin because shes someone who influenced so many other singers, were going to hear her voice echo in the voices of others for years to come. Mariah carey. Siza, a younger singer. Were going to keep on hearing the kinds of approaches she used to music, the way that she created this persona that no one else had of a strong, independent woman. Were going to hear that in lady gagas voice and her persona. So Aretha Franklins gone, but shes not dead. Were going to keep on hearing her. The queen is dead. Long live the queen. Exactly. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. So how did don lemon become arethas text buddy . He is here to tell us and to explain what he feels has been lost. And then i have a song that you havent heard yet tonight that literally changed my life. What it is and why, coming up. Where we give you more ts for you thing. And heres where we shrink the biggest names in entertainment so we can fit them into our unlimited wireless plan. Whos first . 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I learned today that one of our pals is actually a texting buddy of the icon Aretha Franklin. Don lemon is here to tell us about it. How did this happen . Well, i mean, we were more than texting buddies. Thats how it started. I considered her a friend. She saw me on television, and i think the well, the first time i interviewed her when ed bradley died, and she loved ed bradley, and she called in to talk about. And we became friends, and she asked for my phone number from one of the producers, and she started texting me and calling me, and we became friends and hung out. And it was amazing. Can you imagine this little kid . She was the same age as my mother. Theyre about seven months apart. And this icon that i grew up listening to every single day pretty much in my household, im all of a sudden friends with her. It was amazing, out of body, but shes just a regular as regular as you can be if youre aretha frank llin. Tough suffers no fools, but what did you learn about her that people should know . She did not suffer fools very well by the way. Nope. But if you were good to her, she was good to you. And if you kept her confidence, she kept your confidence. And if you didnt keep her confidence, you werent going to be her friend for a long time. But i learned from her to stand up for what i believe in, do it from your heart, and make sure wherever you work, that they pay you what you are worth. Thats what i learned from her. So thank you, ms. Franklin, for that. Ill tell you what, you know, going through it today in terms respect. Thats what that is. Its almost you cant play with her song book. Youre not going to capture it. Then you have her social relevance. I grew up with Harry Belafonte. Still alive, still fighting the fight. He told me the story about them using their own money to fill up the van so their marches could continue. She was there front lines. She was. I asked her about that in an interview. I asked her about that. She said no, i wasnt on the front line, don. That was dr. King and people like john lewis who will be in the show moments away. She didnt consider herself to be on the front lines. But her music was. When they were going in and out of jail for rights, they would listen to Aretha Franklin for inspiration. She even offered to pay angela davis bail when she was arrested. And she said i think the quote was that if you something about peace or comfort that you had to be uncomfortable in order to seek some comfort or seek peace. Ill look forward to hearing john lewis describe her impact and what shell mean Going Forward for the generation to come and Going Forward. Thank you for sharing your friendship with us. I appreciate it. Yes. What is arethas most powerful song . I dont know. Youre not going to be able to give an answer. I can tell you which of her performances meant so much to me that it literally changed me. Its a song you probably havent heard her sing at least many times before. What, why and how next. Im a small business, but i have. Big dreams. And big plans. So how do i make the efforts of 8 employees. Feel like 50 . How can i share new plans virtually . How can i download an efile . Virtual tours . Zipfile . Really big files . In seconds, not minutes. Just like that. Like everything. The answer is simple. Ill do what ive always done. Dream more, dream faster, and above all. Now, ill dream gig. Now more businesses, in more places, can afford to dream gig. Comcast, building americas largest gigspeed network. The year was 199 8. The grammys. Radio city music hall. Aretha franklin was there for a Blues Brothers bit. She overwhelmed the production crew. Pavorati was supposed to be there. He was supposed to sing no one shall sleep. He does the rehearsal. Later the same day, the night of the awards he bails. What are they going to do . They go to aretha. Its less than an hour before the show. They ask her if she can do it. This is opera. Not gospel. Not anything shes known for. A song man had owned on the international stage. She says let me hear him from the rehearsal earlier. She listens and says yeah, i can do that. Not only does she do it in front of a massive opera chorus and world audience, but the end of the song has this famous high note finish. You know. Listen to what happened. I still get tingles and that doesnt do it justice. I got tingles back then. That little boy, i was him. We all were who saw it. Holding onto her to survive the power of her voice and to be as close as we could be. It convinces you theres something greater than us at play in this world. Lets listen to a little more. Look, we all vibe off the gospel and her power songs. The wonderful angelic flouris s flourishes, the wailing of whoa. This is not a signature song for the queen, but it is often referred to as one of the best grammy performances ever, certainly for her. Its for a reason that really mattered to me at the time and even more today. The ability to own something this hard thats not from her own experience. She didnt write it. It was written in a different language. And still communicates so much. Not to mention doing it last second. No real rehearsal on a major stage. How . Talent . Takes measure that. Aretha franklin was a great singer, but she was more. She was a muse. The greeks said there were nine muses but aretha was enough on her own to inspire several generations. Thats just so far. So why . Supreme soul sister. Soul speaker. Evoker of the spirit. Energy came out of her as much as sound. Soul food. You could literally feel it up close. It moved men and women half a world away. We would cry tears of joy when she sang of the hope for justice in better days and tears when she belted out words of oppression and injustice. The woman who turned a cover song into an anthem. R respect. Your kisses sweeter than hoin, and guess what, so is my money. Respect when im home or you might walk in and find out im gone. Thank you for doing something that is more powerful than making people think or even making them act a certain way. You made us feel deeply, and that can lead to more than anything else. The queen, my friends, is dead, but long live the queen. Thank you for watching us tonight. Remember Aretha Franklin for her music and what she meant to so many for all the right reasons. Cnn tonight with don lemon starts his coverage right now. Her music will live on. And i loved it in there in the song when she says take care tcb. She did it. She took care of business all the time. Im going to get to this chris. Ill see you next time. Thank you, my friend. This is cnn tonight. I am don lemon. This country has lost one of our greatest treasures. Aretha franklin. The queen of soul. A title that she more than earned with a voice that could raise any roof from the church all the way to the white house. With a heart as big as her voice