Dan Aykroyd, Bryan Adams Mourn Passing of Aretha Franklin

Published on: 2018/08/16 - in Entertainment

Two entertainment superstars with links to both Kingston and Aretha Franklin posted condolences in memory of the singing legend today, following the announcement of Franklin’s death at the age of 76.

Dan Aykroyd, the Kingston area resident who featured Aretha Franklin and other soul, jazz and blues singers in his 1980 blockbuster The Blues Brothers, remembered Franklin in social media posts today.

Aykroyd wrote: “Happy memories of being with Aretha on movie sets and at industry events. The Queen had a wry, skeptical eye on the world but once you got her laughing, you were in. What a voice! What a soul! Angel Choirs should prepare for increased rehearsal and discipline.

Check out Aretha singing “Think” in The Blues Brothers:

Singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, who was born in Kingston in 1959, also paid tribute to Franklin and thanked her for performing one of his songs: “Goodbye @ArethaFranklin thank you for all the inspiration, and thank you for singing my song #nevergonnabreakmyfaith #RipArethaFranklin”

Bryan Adam’s penned the song “Never Gonna Break My Faith“, which appeared on the movie soundtrack for “Bobby” – a fictionalized account of the hours leading up to the 1968 assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy – performed by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige with The Harlem Boys Choir.

The song won the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and a Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Song.

Listen to “Never Gonna Break My Faith” Here:

Aretha Franklin died this morning, Thursday August 16th, due to advanced pancreatic cancer.

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Photo (The Blues Brothers): Youtube screencap