Mourners pay final respects to Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin

Mourners paid their final respects to American singer songwriter Aretha Franklin. The legendary Queen of Soul died on 16th of August at the age of 76. Franklin was an influential cultural figure, often described as “the voice of black America”. A master of genres like pop and soul music, Franklin rose to worldwide prominence in the 1960s. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005, and performed at Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. Franklin was suffering with pancreatic cancer and was reported to be “gravely ill”. In her last days, she was visited by singer-musician Stevie Wonder with Beyonce and Jay Z .