Yesterday brought the sad news that Aretha Franklin, the legendary singer and “Queen Of Soul,” passed away at 76 years old. Franklin leaves behind a legacy that will endure for a long time, thanks to her powerhouse voice and memorable songs like “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Ariana Grande was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night, and she decided to honor Franklin by joining The Roots for a cover of the latter song.
Grande later spoke with Fallon about Franklin, and she recalled the time she met Franklin at the White House. She also told an adorable story about Franklin’s troubles with modern technology: Franklin called Grande and wanted her to listen to a recording made by her grandson, but since she couldn’t figure out how to send an MP3 digitally, she instead mailed a CD to Grande that arrived months later.
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TMZ reports that Grande initially refused requests from the show’s producers to perform a Franklin song because she was too emotional about the singer’s passing. It was Questlove, however, who convinced Grande to do it. It wasn’t easy for Grande to do, though, as TMZ also notes that she “broke down in tears” after leaving the stage.
Watch Grande and The Roots perform “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” above.
