Actress Jennifer Hudson has remembered the late Aretha Franklin on the second anniversary of the Queen of Soul’s death at the age of 76.
“Something tells me that you are walking around heaven singing all day!” Hudson wrote alongside the black-and-white photo of Franklin performing in her younger years. “I know you got your mansion, far more than just standing room! Singing in the heavenly choir!”
“Still can’t believe we lost you 2 years ago today,” the 38-year-old added. “I truly miss hearing from you!”
Prior to Franklin’s passing, Jennifer Hudson was handpicked by the music legend herself to portray her in the upcoming biopic Respect, which sees Franklin’s journey from singing in her father’s church choir to becoming an international superstar.
The official trailer for the highly-anticipated film debuted during the BET Awards back in June, with Hudson flawlessly embodying Franklin as the iconic “Respect” soundtracked the preview.
“You have to disturb the peace when you can’t get no peace,” Hudson said as Franklin during the teaser clip.
Last year, Hudson spoke to Sunday Today about the importance of telling the “Freeway of Love” singer’s story and her aim to portray the icon with reverence.
“Those are huge shoes to fill,” she said in the interview. “I am just taking it one step at a time, one day at a time. All I want to do is pay tribute to her and meet her requests, you know? Like, ‘Aretha said do this?’ — ‘Yes, ma’am.'”
Respect is scheduled to hit theatres in January 2021 and is directed by Liesl Tommy and stars Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Forest Whitaker, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and Marc Maron.
Aretha Franklin died of advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type in 2018 after battling health issues for several years. Her funeral was a glamorous affair, featuring several outfit changes for her three public viewings.
