Aretha Franklin's funeral was an elaborate affair that garnered much attention. Unfortunately, some of this consideration came from the negative aspects of the event. One of the most criticized parts of the funeral service was the way in which the Queen of Soul's eulogy was delivered.
The family was caught off guard by Rev. Jasper Williams Jr's off-topic comments during the failed eulogy. Aretha's nephew, Vaughn Franklin, spoke openly about the family's disappointment with the pastor's speech.
"He spoke for 50 minutes and at no time did he properly eulogize her. " He then summed up the address by saying, "It has been very, very distasteful."
Rev. Jasper Williams Jr shared his thoughts about the criticism. The words he spoke don't exactly add up to an apology, but there is a slight sense of awareness of the offense.
“I understand it,” he said. “I regret it. But I’m sorry they feel that way.”
Williams had spent the bulk of his speech touching on points that diverged from Aretha Franklin's life and achievements. Instead, he favored subjects like the criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Singer Stevie Wonder was quick to protest the pastor's statement by yelling out “black lives matter.” Williams doubled-down in response: “No, black lives do not matter.” This all went down during the eulogy.
[via]