Saturday, October 12, 2024

Late, Great Aretha Franklin Gets a Real “Freeway of Love” As Michigan Names Part of Detroit Highway for Her

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Aretha Franklin is getting a real freeway of love.

Michigan governor Gretchen Witmer has signed a bill making part of the M-10 Freeway that runs through Detroit as the Aretha L. Franklin Memorial Highway.

Our friend Aretha died on August 16th last year. I’ve been thinking about her a lot this week as I went to Detroit to see her one year ago this week.

She had just received another honor– the naming of a downtown street near Tigers Stadium is now Aretha Franklin Way.

After her death, the city also renamed a local concert venue on the river in her honor.

This past May, Aretha also received a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for her life’s work.

She would be so pleased by all these accolades. They show so much RESPECT!

The piece of highway which will bear her name begins near her famed New Bethel Baptist Church.

The Democratic governor notes in a statement that Franklin’s “creativity and voice contributed to our musical and cultural history in Michigan.”

By the way, Aretha’s gospel documentary, “Amazing Grace,” has made over $4.3 million in its theatrical release. It’s still playing in some theaters after a hugely successful run. Director Sydney Pollack must be smiling in heaven.

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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