Dan Aykroyd Shares Happy Memories of Aretha Franklin on 'Blues Brothers' Set

In the wake of Aretha Franklin's death, Blues Brothers star Dan Aykroyd has taken to social media [...]

By Stephen Andrew

In the wake of Aretha Franklin's death, Blues Brothers star Dan Aykroyd has taken to social media to share "happy memories" of being on set with the "Queen of Soul."

Franklin appeared in the classic 1980s comedy as Mrs. Murphy, the no-nonsense wife of Matt "Guitar" Murphy who was less than thrilled to see him run off with the boys and gives a rousing rendition of her hit song "Think."

"Happy memories of being with Aretha on movie sets and industry events. The Queen had a wry, skeptical eye on the world but once you got her laughing you were in," Aykroyd wrote in a tweet. "What a voice! What a soul. Angel choirs should prepare for increased rehearsal and discipline."

Notably, this was the only acting that Franklin ever did, though she did reprise the role in the sequel, Blues Brothers 2000, where she delivered an impassioned performance of "Respect" after, once again, being told that Mr. Murphy was planning to run off to play music with the Blues Brothers band.

In addition to Aykroyd, a number of other high-profile celebrities have spoken out about Franklin's passing, with many of them memorializing the fallen icon.

"We mourn the passing of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Her voice will keep lifting us, through the music she gave the world," said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a tweet. "Our thoughts are with her family, her loved ones and fans everywhere. Take her hand, precious Lord, and lead her home."

"Deeply sad this morning. Aretha Franklin has left us and her blessed family. She Lifted up the best angels of our nature," wrote actress Goldie Hawn on twitter May her legacy of truth, love, hope, and joy live on in all of us."

Franklin passed away on Thursday at the age of 76. It was later revealed that her cause of death was believed to be due to pancreatic cancer.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of