Music

Watch Aretha Franklin Move President Obama to Tears in 2015 Kennedy Center Performance

Aretha Franklin is ‘gravely ill,’ and her family has asked for prayers. Throughout her long […]

Aretha Franklin is “gravely ill,” and her family has asked for prayers. Throughout her long career, the Queen of Soul has delivered countless memorable performances, but few are as unforgettable as the one she gave in December 2015.

That night, Franklin brought the house down at the Kennedy Center Honors with her incredible performance of “(You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman.” The performance famously had President Barack Obama in tears.

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Franklin was called to the stage that night in Washington, D.C. to honor Carole King, who co-wrote the song with her first husband, Gerry Goffin. Although King would later record the song herself on 1971’s Tapestry, it is Franklin’s 1967 that became legendary.

Obama was in the balcony with the other nominees. While King was seen joyfully singing along, Obama wiped a tear from his eye.

Franklin played piano for the first part of the song. She later got up to belt out the last part and she later took off her coat, bringing the audience to their feet.

Since that night, a YouTube video of the performance has over 12.3 million views.

In a January 2016 interview with Vogue, Franklin said she was not sure why that particular performance of “Like a Natural Woman” struck such a chord. After all, she had performed the song plenty of times during her career. She had also performed at past Kennedy Center Honors ceremonies.

“I’m not sure why, but I sure enjoyed it. I loved the response from the audience and everyone who has been calling and texting. I’m just very happy about it,” she said.

She went on to explain how satisfying it was to hit the high notes in the song at her age. At the time of the performance, she was 72.

“It’s very satisfying. To perform the way you want to. And the way you know that you can,” she told Vogue. “But you know, I’m not being funny, my voice was down a little bit. And I thought about what I would’ve done if my voice had been exactly where I wanted it to be. There’s a lot of air in Kennedy Center, and no matter where I went, the air was on. Even when I was waiting in the wings to come on, there was air there. I couldn’t escape it. So it slightly affected my voice and my range. I would’ve sang even more.”

Late Sunday night, news broke that Franklin was “gravely ill” in Detroit, and surrounded by her friends and family. Her doctors reportedly believe she “will pass” on Monday. A source close to Franklin told TMZ he was told to “prepare yourself, she’s dying.” Franklin’s health has been failing in recent weeks and her weight fell to 86 pounds.

Franklin gave her most recent performance at Elton John’s AIDS benefit in New York on Nov. 2, 2017.

Photo credit: Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS via Getty Images