Aretha Franklin’s Granddaughter Teams Up With Jennifer Hudson To Pay Tribute To The Late Star — Watch
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Grace Franklin honored her late-grandmother at the premiere of ‘Respect,’ by singing one of her most iconic songs, in a sweet moment.
There isn’t a better way to remember Aretha Franklin‘s legacy than to have her granddaughter Grace Franklin, 15, singing one of her songs! Jennifer Hudson, 39, introduced the teen at the premiere of the Aretha biopic Respect on Sunday August 8. Grace’s tribute to her grandmother consisted of her offering a jaw-dropping rendition of the singer’s 1968 song “Ain’t No Way.”
Jennifer, who plays Aretha in the movie, shared the clip of Grace on Wednesday August 11. Before Grace sang, Jennifer said she wanted to honor the iconic singer the same way that the Hudson family does for those they’ve lost. “In my family, in Heaven, the best way to honor their legacy is to do what you know they would love and, what they would want you to do,” the Respect star said. “I think Aretha would love for her grandbabies to sing her stuff. So this is Grace, her grandbaby.” In Jennifer’s caption, the Academy Award-winning actress also mentioned how “proud” the Lady Soul singer would be to have seen the moment.
Aretha’s granddaughter shared a few thoughts before going into the song. “I’m so happy to be here. I’m just so happy for my grandma to be honored in such an amazing way,” Grace said. “I’m going to be singing ‘Ain’t No Way’ for y’all. This is my favorite song by my grandma. I hope y’all enjoy it.” Grace commented three hearts on J.Hud’s post.
The short tribute was a really beautiful moment shared between Jennifer and Grace, and it couldn’t be more fitting than the Respect premiere. At the premiere, Jennifer rocked a sparkling, purple Dolce Gabbana gown with a leg slit, complete with a six-foot-long train. Grace wore an elegant black gown for the red-carpet.
A few days before the premiere, Grace revealed that she and other members of her family had met and got the opportunity to speak to Jennifer. She shared a video of herself singing a gorgeous rendition of “Amazing Grace.” The actress and Aretha’s granddaughter seemed to really click. Grace wrote that it felt “like we met before,” in an August 3 Instagram post. “Truly an amazing experience getting to sing for such an amazing vocalist,” she wrote. “She did such a great job playing my grandma.”