Aretha Franklin To Receive Tribute At MTV VMAs

aretha franklin vmas tribute

The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards is planning a homage to the legacy of Aretha Franklin.

The annual awards ceremony, broadcasting live Monday (August 20), is working on a creative way to honor the late Queen of Soul — though they haven't settled on exactly how to go about it.

On Friday (August 17), VMAs executive producer Jesse Ignjatovic told The Associated Press that his team is "working on a lot of different options" to tribute the departed legend, who passed at 76 at her home in Detroit this Wednesday (August 16).

Ignjatovic also revealed he's contemplating the "right tone and the right artist" to celebrate Franklin properly: "Whether it's a performance or spoken — just something that's organic and done in a way that feels tonally right because it's Aretha Franklin."

In the days preceding her death, it was reported the chanteuse had been "gravely ill" and surrounded by loved ones before receiving hospice care in her hometown. Franklin was believed to be in dire straits due to her declining health and insiders warned the musician was approaching her final days.

Prior to her death, Franklin had a history of health and medical-related issues, including a struggle with weight loss, alcoholism, and a chain-smoking habit. In 2010, it was rumored the iconic singer was battling pancreatic cancer, claims which she denied.

However, a death certificate determined Franklin's cause of death was, in fact, from cancer.

A legendary one-of-a-kind talent, Franklin achieved a myriad of achievements in her lifetime. She had 20 number one singles, among them: "Respect," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and "Chain of Fools." In 1987, she became the first woman inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She's won 18 Grammy Awards, in addition to other Grammy-centric honors like the Grammy Legend Award (1991) and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1994).

The VMAs will air at 9:00 PM EST from New York City's Radio City Music Hall. 

Photo: Getty Images


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