Barefoot Fantasia Barrino sings soulful tribute at Aretha Franklin’s funeral

Fantasia Barrino brought the house down during her performance at Aretha Franklin's funeral. She was barefoot when she delivered her heart-stopping tribute causing fans to laud the singer on Twitter.

Following a marathon of performances paying tribute to the late Aretha Franklin during her funeral, Fantasia Barrino blew off the roof as she performed barefoot on stage and delivered a soulful tribute.

“I hope she don’t mind, I don’t think she would, but I think I’m gonna come out of my shoes,” Barrino said before belting out a song popularized by the Queen of Soul.

Shortly after Franklin’s death, Barrino expressed the gravity of her loss when she tweeted about how the iconic singer played a great role in her life.

“This woman played a BIG part in my life. She played a genuine role in my life similar to how my Grandmother was very dear to me. I’ll never forget the talks we shared together. Auntie, kill the choir up there in Heaven & know that your Music will last forever,”

Perhaps due to their closeness, Barrino’s performance during Franklin’s funeral became the highlight of the service.

It was almost the end of the tribute to Franklin when Barrino took the stage for her performance. Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, Faith Hill, and Ariana Grande had already delivered their masterpieces before her but Barrino managed to deliver the most captivating one of all.

Dressed in black, Barrino walked to the stage and decided to kick off her shoes before singing her heart-stopping rendition of Franklin’s “Precious Lord, Take My Hand/ You’ve Got a Friend” backed by a choir.

The audience at the Greater Grace Memorial Temple in Detroit was so moved that she had them on their feet. Twitter was equally astounded by her performance that it created a wave of reposts and praises for the singer including those below.

The star-studded funeral service for Franklin was live streamed all day and was filled with music, prayers, and reflections officiated by Bishop Charles Ellis III. He told reporters before the start of the program,

"It is my goal and my aim to ensure that people leave here with some kind of spiritual awakening. This is not a concert, this is not a show, this is not an awards production.

"This is a real life that has been lived, that a person regardless of how famous she became, no matter how many people she touched around the world, she still could not escape death."

Franklin’s passing left a void in the music industry that witnessed her stellar decades-long career. This also left some of her family members longing for her including her ex-husband Glynn Turman who considered her “a love of my life.”

Turman paid Franklin a visit before she died to say goodbye. He revealed the singer was still in a fighting mode when he touched her frail arm and felt her pulse. He also said Franklin was aware that he was there which provided them the closure they needed.

Turman and Franklin were married from 1978 to 1984. Their separation was brought about their difficulty maintaining a long-distance relationship. They never had any children together but they remained close after their divorce.