Gladys Knight will lead a tribute to her late friend Aretha Franklin at the American Music Awards next month (Oct18).
The music icon passed away in August (18) and on 9 October, Gladys, Ledisi, and CeCe Winans will hit the stage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles for a tribute will reportedly centre on the Queen of Soul's gospel roots and her 1972 album Amazing Grace.
"When I heard some of the initial ideas for the tribute, I knew without a doubt that this tribute will go down as one of the best in American music," a statement from Sabrina Owens, Franklin's niece and the executor of her estate, reads.
Knight also paid tribute to Aretha on the eve of her funeral in Detroit, Michigan, singing You'll Never Walk Alone during a gig in a local park which is to be named after Franklin.
Last month she recalled the close relationship she shared with her fellow soul legend.
"We were both little girls, and I say little girls even though, you know, we have, like, three or four years between us, but we had that same road to go and over the years I saw her grow and hopefully she saw me grow," Knight told Entertainment Tonight. "We were both blessed enough to be working all the time, so if we were anywhere near where we were going to be playing, she would just show up. I would show up (to see her)."
Meanwhile, record executive Clive Davis, who signed Franklin to Arista Records in 1980, is reportedly planning a tribute show titled Clive Davis Presents: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin on 14 November at Madison Square Garden in New York, according to Billboard.
