Oop, Aretha Franklin’s Family Says Eulogy Was Offensive
Aretha Franklin’s family wasn’t feeling the Atlanta pastor who delivered her eulogy at her memorial service last week. The family reportedly found his words distasteful and offensive.
Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. rubbed a lot of people the wrong way for saying “black lives do not matter unless blacks stop killing each other,” and for saying that children growing up in a household without a father is like “abortion after birth.”
“He spoke for 50 minutes and at no time did he properly eulogize her,” Aretha’s nephew Vaughn said in a statement on behalf of the family.
Vaughn threw a little bit of shade and said that Aretha never asked Rev. Williams to deliver her eulogy and that the family selected him since he spoke at other family memorials in the past.
The pastor says he’s sorry the family wasn’t feeling his eulogy.
“I understand it,” he said. “I regret it. But I’m sorry they feel that way.”