Detroit readies for Aretha Franklin tribute concert

DETROIT -- Aretha Franklin's casket is to lie in repose at her father's church on Thursday ahead of a tribute concert in her hometown Detroit and what will be a "jubilant" star-studded funeral on Friday.

Thousands of fans paid their respects at the open, golden casket of the US music icon and "Queen of Soul," who lay in state at the Charles H. Wright Museum for African American History on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 76-year-old singer, beloved by millions around the world, died of cancer on August 16, closing the curtain on a glittering six-decade career that made her one of America's most celebrated artists.

On the second night of the public viewing, a huge queue of young and old, from babies in strollers to elderly women leaning on crutches and sitting in wheelchairs, snaked half a mile to file past her coffin.

An estimated 15,000 people came on Tuesday with a bigger crowd on Wednesday, one museum official told AFP. On Tuesday, she was dressed in a red dress with matching stilettos and on Wednesday in blue. 

The funeral parlor have reportedly said Franklin will be dressed differently for each of the four days of celebration, which continues on Thursday with her coffin lying in repose at her father's New Bethel Baptist Church, where she hosted dinners and recorded an album.

In the evening a free concert honoring Franklin's life is to kick off at 6pm at the Chene Park Amphitheatre, an outdoor riverfront arena in downtown Detroit that has 5,000 seats and 1,000 lawn spaces.

Headliners include Gladys Knight, The Four Tops, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Angela Davis and Angie Stone. Louis Farrakhan, the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam, is included in the line-up.

Joy, laughter

On Friday, former president Bill Clinton and Smokey Robinson are among those due to address her six-hour, invitation-only funeral with musical tributes coming from Stevie Wonder and Ariana Grande.

"I think it's going to be a very upbeat service. I think it's going to be a very jubilant service," said Bishop Charles Ellis, pastor at the Greater Grace Temple where the funeral is being held.

"I think it's going to be a time of sadness, a time of joy, a time of laughter, there's going to be some dancing," he told AFP. "It's going to be all about her and the way she blessed us with her gospel music."

The gospel, soul and R&B star influenced generations of female singers from the late Whitney Houston to Beyonce with unforgettable hits including "Respect" (1967), "Natural Woman" (1968) and "I Say a Little Prayer" (1968).

"I think this is really doing her really good," said nurse Tremaine Townsend, 38, among the thousands who filed past Franklin's casket on Wednesday, thrilled by the four-day celebration.

"The city of Detroit loved her, this was her home and I think they're really showing her the love that she deserved," she said.

'Touched so many hearts'

Franklin is considered royalty in her Michigan hometown. The atmosphere outside the museum was festive, her music blaring out of loudspeakers as people danced and volunteers handed out water.

Franklin won 18 Grammy awards and provided a soundtrack to the civil rights movement, singing to raise money for the cause and uplifting activists with her phenomenal voice and upbeat anthems.

Her signature song, "Respect" -- recorded as a feminist anthem -- became a rallying cry as African Americans rose up nationwide in the 1960s to fight peacefully for racial equality.

"Everybody is just so thrilled when they go in and come out," said Evelyn Couch, 65, a retired social worker who is handicapped, and who traveled 60 kilometers with her family.

"I guess she touched so many hearts, you see people crying, you see people just smiling and singing her songs."

The daughter of a prominent Baptist preacher and civil rights activist father, Franklin sang at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the inaugurations of presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

She was awarded America's highest civilian honor by George W. Bush and tops Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.

Married and divorced twice, and the mother of four, she will be buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, alongside her father and siblings.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Prince's 'Yellow Cloud' guitar goes under the hammer

LOS ANGELES, United States - Prince's iconic "Yellow Cloud" electric guitar is to go under the hammer in Beverly Hills with an opening bid of $30,000, a US auction house said Friday.

It was the singer's instrument of choice during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and its eccentric design went on to form part of the infamous symbol that he adopted as his name during his contract dispute with Warner Bros.

"One glimpse and you have no doubt that this is Prince's guitar," Garry Shrum, director of music memorabilia at Texas-based Heritage Auctions, said in a statement.

The pop legend died at the age of 57 on April 21 with no will and no recognized children, with his sister and five half-siblings listed as heirs and a special administrator temporarily put in charge of his estate.

Prince was rarely photographed during the late 1980s without the bright yellow maple wood instrument, complete with a gold-tinted "tune-o-matic" style bridge, tailpiece and machine heads and a distinctive elongated upper horn.

"As celebrity stage-used instruments go, this piece is as unique as Beethoven's piano or John Coltrane's saxophone," he added.

The Yellow Cloud was used in the studio, in videos and at gigs until the neck broke on a French TV show in 1994.

It was repaired but confined to the recording studio and eventually made way for the "Symbol" guitar identified with Prince's later work.

It will be sold at Heritage's Beverly Hills auction house on June 24-25 alongside a number of other rarities, including a 1970s demo tape with track listing written in Prince's own hand.

The cause of the singer's death has yet to be determined but investigators are examining whether he was killed by prescription painkillers.

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Prince cremated; family, friends honor him at ceremony in Minnesota

CHANHASSEN, Minn. - Prince's remains have been cremated and his family and friends attended a private ceremony on Saturday to pay their respects to the late pop superstar at the studio complex where he died in a suburb of Minneapolis, a Prince spokeswoman said.

Among those seen entering the Paisley Park Studios complex, where Prince lived in Chanhassen, Minnesota, were his sister, Tyka Nelson, musician and former collaborator Sheila E., his former bass player Larry Graham and model Damaris Lewis.

The service came two days after Prince, whose hits included "Purple Rain" and "When Doves Cry," was found dead in an elevator at the complex at age 57. His death shocked millions of fans around the world and prompted glowing tributes from fellow musicians and public figures, including President Barack Obama.

"Prince was celebrated by a small group of his most beloved: family, friends and his musicians, in a private, beautiful ceremony to say a loving goodbye," Prince publicist Anna Meacham said in a statement.

Meacham said Prince's remains have been cremated and their final resting place will remain private. Plans are under way for a musical celebration of Prince, with details to be announced later, she said.

On Saturday, Graham stood at a gate of Paisley Park Studios and thanked some of the hundreds of fans gathered on the lawn outside to show their admiration of Prince, a seven-time Grammy winner whose music blended rock, funk, R&B, jazz and disco.

"Prince made us all better musicians and spiritually is the most important thing, but as musician he pushed us and he made us better and we listened deeply," Graham told the fans.

Participants in the ceremony handed some fans outside gift boxes that contained items such as Prince-themed apparel and a compact disc of music.

An autopsy on Prince was conducted on Friday and authorities are investigating his death.

Police said on Friday no signs of suicide or obvious trauma were found in Prince's death. The local medical examiner's office said it could take weeks before autopsy and toxicology results reveal how the groundbreaking performer died.

Prince had been on a U.S. tour as recently as last week.

But he was briefly hospitalized a week ago, suffering from what his representative told celebrity news website TMZ was the flu, after his plane made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois.

(Reporting by Jane Ross, writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; editing by Andrew Hay)

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No signs of trauma, suicide in Prince death: police

CHANHASSEN, United States – There was no evidence of trauma on Prince's body when he was found unresponsive in an elevator at his huge compound or any indication the late music icon committed suicide, US authorities said Friday.

Stunned fans massed outside the superstar's Paisley Park studio complex on the outskirts of Minneapolis are looking to an autopsy carried out earlier in the day to resolve the mystery around the sudden loss of their idol.

But medical officials cautioned it could be weeks before they can conclusively say what killed the enigmatic award-winning musician, whose death at age 57 plunged the entertainment world into grief.

Prince was found dead on Thursday, a week after he was hospitalized for flu-like symptoms that he later downplayed. There have been reports the incident may have been triggered by an overdose of an opioid-based painkiller.

"We have no reason to believe at this point that this was a suicide," Carver County Sheriff Jim Olson told a packed news conference.

"But again, this is early on in the investigation and we're continuing to investigate," he said. A search warrant for Prince's vast studio complex will be filed in the coming days, but authorities stressed this was standard procedure.

The sheriff said there were "no obvious signs of trauma" on Prince's body, noting: "A sign of trauma would be some sign of violence that had happened, there was no sign of that at all."

Olson said Prince was alone at the premises when he died and refused to comment on reports of painkiller use.

Prince -- a Grammy and Oscar winner who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 -- was last seen alive on Wednesday evening by staff at the compound, but his body was only discovered the following morning.

The local medical examiner's office says preliminary autopsy results will take days and the results of a full toxicology scan could take weeks.

Asked if Prince's body showed signs of drugs or a drug overdose, the medical examiner's spokeswoman Martha Weaver said: "There's no information at this time in regard to exactly what you’re talking about, as part of the investigation."

- Heartbreak –

Grieving fans around the world took to wearing purple -- Prince's signature color -- in his honor.

Those milling about outside his studio complex to pay their respects placed flowers and handwritten messages at the scene, which has become a place of pilgrimage.

In turn, Prince's staff delivered 50 boxes of pizza to fans.

Many in Minneapolis said how proud they were of the city's native son, and how saddened they were by the thought he died alone, as well as by the suggestion his death could be linked to an overdose of painkillers.

"It breaks my heart," said Cindy Legg, a 41-year-old nurse. "Hopefully it was just God needed him in heaven."

Entertainment website TMZ, citing unnamed sources, reported that Prince was treated last week for an overdose of Percocet after a show in Atlanta, when his private jet made an unscheduled landing in Moline, Illinois.

"Multiple sources in Moline tell us Prince was rushed to a hospital and doctors gave him a 'save shot'... typically administered to counteract the effects of an opiate," TMZ said. AFP could not immediately verify the report.

- Carnival-like –

Small in stature but an electrifying live performer, Prince became an international sensation in the 1980s, fusing rock and R&B into a highly danceable funk mix.

The sudden loss of the "Purple Rain" legend, who was acclaimed for his instrumental wizardry and soaring falsetto, prompted an outpouring of tributes -- and spontaneous celebrations.

In New York, director Spike Lee led a Prince sing-along at a packed block party in Brooklyn while in Minneapolis, where a bridge was lit up in purple in Prince's memory, the atmosphere was carnival-like with fans bursting into song.

"You know, he was the greatest artist of all time. There will never be another one like him," said Antonio Harper, one of thousands who partied through the night in Prince's hometown in a bittersweet farewell.

"I cried, I cried a few times all night," said Melody Johnson, part of the crowd at the First Avenue club, where Prince shot "Purple Rain," the rock musical featuring songs from the album of the same name.

"Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin was one of many in the entertainment industry to honor the singer, describing him as "an original and a one of a kind."

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger called Prince "one of the most unique and talented artists of the last 30 years."

- On the turntable -
Prince -- whose huge catalogue of hits includes "1999," "Cream" and "Kiss" -- was prolific in his output, recently releasing albums through streaming site Tidal, and had taken to scheduling shows at the last minute to avoid scalpers.

President Barack Obama, who invited Prince to play a private White House show last year, let slip that he played some of his records Friday morning at the US ambassador's residence in London, where he is staying.

"It happens there's a turntable and so this morning, we played 'Purple Rain' and 'Delirious' just to get warmed up before we left the house," Obama told a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

"He was a great performer. And creative and original and full of energy. And so it's a remarkable loss."

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Tributes pour in for music icon David Bowie

LONDON -- The death of music icon David Bowie drew tributes from around the world Monday, with figures from music and show business recalling his transformation of music and trailblazing, androgynous style.

Here are some of the reactions:

- Madonna: "Talented. Unique. Genius. Game Changer. The Man who Fell to Earth. Your Spirit Lives on Forever!"

- British Prime Minister David Cameron: "I grew up listening to and watching the pop genius David Bowie. He was a master of re-invention, who kept getting it right. A huge loss."

- Long-term Bowie producer Tony Visconti: "I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn't, however, prepared for it. He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry."

- US musician Kanye West: "David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime."

- Singer and producer Pharrell Williams: "David Bowie was a true innovator, a true creative. May he rest in peace."

- British astronaut Tim Peake: "Saddened to hear David Bowie has lost his battle with cancer – his music was an inspiration to many."

- Actor Russell Crowe: "RIP David. I loved your music. I loved you. One of the greatest performance artists to have ever lived. #sorrow"

- Comedian Ricky Gervais: "I just lost a hero. RIP David Bowie."

- Cher: "DEVASTATED... A LEGEND IS GONE"

- British rocker Billy Idol: "He inspired us to go beyond the norm & reach out & dispel the void of life in 70's England wth r own art forms...."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Carlos Santana says he's moved by Pinoy spirit

OAKLAND, Calif. – Known as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, San Francisco native Carlos Santana wowed the crowd when he performed the National Anthem for Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

The music icon spoke with Ginger Conejero about his admiration for Filipino culture and for the People’s Champ Manny Pacquiao.

Read more on Balitang America.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com