As of yesterday, the Queen of Soul that is Aretha Franklin is no longer with us. The singer died in Detroit at the age of 74 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Ariana Grande joined the band The Roots on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to pay an emotional tribute to her.
Grande, who released her new album ‘Sweetener’ today, sang ‘(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman’ to mark the passing of the music legend.
Listen and watch the performance, after which Grande gets a standing ovation, here:
Following the performance, Fallon paid tribute to Franklin as well, telling a story about how she requested no air conditioning so her voice could be supple whenever she appeared on his show.
“Questlove almost faints,” Fallon teased about one of the times she was in the studio, adding, “She was so funny and so charming, and nice to everyone on staff, top to bottom… I just love her so much.”
After performing 'Natural Woman', Grande spoke about meeting Franklin and being sent music from her.
.@ArianaGrande remembers Aretha Franklin pic.twitter.com/Au1WPofj8y
— Fallon Tonight (@FallonTonight) August 17, 2018