Taylor Swift’s Tribute to Aretha

Taylor Swift held a moment of silence for Aretha Franklin during a reputation Tour stop in the late singer’s hometown of Detroit on Tuesday. Just days ahead of Aretha’s funeral in Detroit, Taylor paid tribute to her and honored Aretha for the work she did for both women’s rights and civil rights.

“Last week we lost an irreplaceable force. Aretha Franklin did so much for music, she did so much for women’s rights, she did so much for civil rights,” Taylor said during the show.

“She was one of those people where no matter what you said, no matter what glowing positive thing you said about her, it would be an understatement. Words could never, ever describe how many things she did in her lifetime that made our world a better place. And this is her home,” Taylor continued. “I would like it if we could have a moment of silence so that every single one of us could reflect on our love and respect for her and everything that she did in her life. So if we could please cut the lights, we’ll have a moment of silence for Aretha.” When the lights came back up, she added, “We love you Aretha.”

Aretha sang “Happy Birthday” to Taylor at Billboard Women of the Year 2014.