Aretha Franklin got the R-E-S-P-E-C-T she deserved on Friday when more than 100 pink Cadillacs gathered on Seven Mile Road to escort the hearse carrying the late singer’s casket to the funeral service at Greater Grace Temple in Detroit.
Family and friends of the Queen of Soul celebrated the life of the late icon, who died at the age of 76 earlier this month.
Franklin was a fan of the Cadillac, specifically pink ones, and sang about them in her 1985 hit “Freeway of Love.”
“We goin’ ridin’ on the freeway of love in my pink Cadillac,” she croons in the song.
Detroit native Crisette Ellis and her husband, a Greater Grace Temple pastor, came up with the idea for the Cadillac tribute after they were inspired by how policemen line their cars up during funerals for fallen officers.
“My husband said, ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could have a sea of pink Cadillacs parked on Seven Mile Road to greet Ms. Aretha Franklin as she arrives?’” Ellis told NPR.
Ellis said she gathered cars from, Texas, Nebraska, Florida, North Carolina and Maryland.
The sight of the cars is one to behold and many on social media shared their appreciation for both Franklin and the colorful memorial:
What a way to honor Aretha. RIP Queen.
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