Gladys Knight, Ledisi and others will salute Aretha Franklin on American Music Awards

Aretha Franklin will be memorialized in song at the American Music Awards next month.

Gladys Knight tops a lineup including Ledisi, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, CeCe Winans and musical director Rickey Minor to pay tribute to the late singer.

The show, hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross, will air live from Los Angeles on ABC at 8 p.m. Oct. 9.

Knight was among those who performed at Franklin’s funeral last month in Detroit, singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

The Georgia-born singer said in a statement, “It’s a blessing to be a part of this moving musical tribute to honor our late queen and sister, Aretha. She was an icon and visionary, radiated light and love through all of her life’s work, and touched all of us through her incredible gift of music.”

Franklin’s niece and executor of her estate, Sabrina Owens, believes that “this tribute will go down as one of the best in American music.”

Franklin died on Aug. 16 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

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