Aretha Franklin’s family wasn’t feeling the Atlanta pastor who delivered her eulogy at her memorial service last week. The family reportedly found his words distasteful and offensive.
Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. rubbed a lot of people the wrong way for saying “black lives do not matter unless blacks stop killing each other,” and for saying that children growing up in a household without a father is like “abortion after birth.”
“He spoke for 50 minutes and at no time did he properly eulogize her,” Aretha’s nephew Vaughn said in a statement on behalf of the family.
Vaughn threw a little bit of shade and said that Aretha never asked Rev. Williams to deliver her eulogy and that the family selected him since he spoke at other family memorials in the past.
View the full statement below:
“Rev. Jasper Williams spent more than 50 minutes speaking and at no time did he properly eulogize her [Aretha Franklin],” Vaughn.
“We feel that Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. used this platform to push his negative agenda, which as a family, we do not agree with,” he continued.”My aunt did not ask Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. to eulogize her before she passed away because dying is a topic that she never discussed with anyone.”
“However, there were several people that my aunt admired that would have been outstanding individuals to deliver her eulogy.”
The pastor says he’s sorry the family wasn’t feeling his eulogy.
“I understand it,” he said. “I regret it. But I’m sorry they feel that way.”
