MTV VMAs 2018: Watch Madonna Pay Tribute to Aretha Franklin

The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards featured Madonna taking the stage to pay tribute to the late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who died on August 16 at age 76. “Aretha Louise Franklin changed the course of my life,” Madonna started. She informed a narrative about an audition that kicked off her profession the place she sang “(You Make Me Feel) A Natural Woman” from Aretha’s Lady Soul. “I want to thank you Aretha, for empowering all of us. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Long live the queen.” She then offered Camila Cabello with the Video of the Year. Watch her speech beneath.

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In the wake of Franklin’s dying, musicians, artists, politicians, and extra paid their respects to the Queen of Soul. The night time of her passing, Ariana Grande sang “You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman) on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Next week, on August 28 and 29, Detroit’s Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History will host a memorial ceremony.

Read Pitchfork’s Afterword function “How Aretha Franklin Earned Her Crown as the Queen of Soul.”

Follow all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards.