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Attorney general eric holder. >> she was always ours. there has never been, there will never be another voice melded to the consummate artistry that was ms. aretha franklin. >> reporter: never considering herself political, she was a favorite inauguration fixture to three presidents spanning 30 years. as a young woman, she lent her artistry to dr. martin luther king jr.'s cause, later tearfully singing at his funeral. a recipient of the highest civilian honor, the medal of freedom, her song "respect" considered an anthem of the civil rights movement and women's advocacy. ♪ r-e-s-p-e-c-t >> r...

>> reporter: to the highest elected public office. >> we started out as like aretha group byies or something. >> she lived with courage. not with fear, but overcoming her fears. she lived with faith, not without failure but overcoming her failures. she lived with power, not without weakness but overcoming her weaknesses. i just loved her. >> reporter: from former u.s. attorney general erik holder. >> she was always ours. there has never been, there will never be another voice melded to the artistry that was ms. aretha franklin. >> reporter: never considering herself political, she was a favori...

♪ to the highest elected public office. former president bill clinton. >> she lived with courage, not without fear, but overcoming her fears. >> reporter: from former u.s. attorney general eric holder -- >> she was always ours. there has never been, there will never be another voice melded to the consummate artistry that was ms. aretha franklin. >> reporter: never considering herself political, she was a favorite inauguration fixture to three presidents spanning 30 years. as a young woman, she lent her artistry to dr. martin luther king jr.'s cause, later tearfully singing at his funeral. â™...

Never be another voice melded to the constant artistry that was miss aretha franklin. we should count ourselves fortunate we lived in a time god shared one of his unique gifts before us. those who came before us and after us will not have the same privilege we all have had. she made our lives richer and she made our lives better. she made this country both more sensitive and more just. aretha franklin made the world more beautiful and more understandable. she comforted us. she moved us and she inspired us. god sang through her. i know that she is in a better place and surrounded now by so many...

Respect. she deservedly received it, and she also made it possible for others. now, hers was a consequential life beyond the impact that she had as a great singer, and that should never, ever be forgotten. in ways not known to many, she was a part of the movement that set this nation free, and she made one song in particular, her own, and it became one of the anthems for another movement that made women more equal. in short, her status as a queen, unlike others who inherit a title, her title was earned. [ applause ] it has been said that hers was a once-in-a-lifetime voice. that is simply not ...