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Aretha Franklin: Queen of Soul's funeral to be held in hometown of Detroit

Aretha Franklin's funeral will be held on 31 August in her hometown of Detroit, her publicist has said.

The Queen of Soul died on Thursday, aged 76, after suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Her funeral will be held at Greater Grace Temple, which boasts 600 members and a 90-year history, but the service will be limited to the late singer's family and friends.

Public viewings will take place on 28 and 29 August at the Charles H Wright Museum of African American History.

Franklin will be entombed at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, along with her father Rev CL Franklin, brother Cecil Franklin, sisters Carolyn Franklin and Erma Franklin and nephew Thomas Garrett.

:: Detroit mourns the Queen of Soul

The legendary singer, who began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, died on Thursday morning at her home with relatives, her longtime publicist Gwendolyn Quinn said.

The "official cause of death was due to advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type, which was confirmed by Franklin's oncologist, Dr Philip Phillips of Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit," the family statement said.

Tributes flooded social media after news of her death broke, with former president Barack Obama saying that she "helped define the American experience".

Franklin had been in declining health for the past couple of years and had retired from touring.

Her last performance was at an Elton John AIDS Foundation event in New York in November.