watching her sing in 1998 when she took over from luciana pavarotti and sang nesson dormer at the grammysrt was open. she was incredible. shejust heart was open. she was incredible. she just saying it's like aretha, she didn't sing it like an opera singer. she sang it like the soul queen that she was. i still get tingles thinking about it, she was amazing. absolutely. how much of an inspiration was she to your singing career? aretha was the biggest inspiration in my singing career. it actually makes me quite emotional, thinking that she is not here any more. i have listened to her since i was but sense maybe i was ten or 12 all, she was 1a years older than me, so all, she was 1a years older than me, soi all, she was 1a years older than me, so i have grown up listening to aretha, listening to all her albums, following her career. i whole life. and her music has lifted me up when i have been down and taken me higher when i have been happy. she hasjust been everything. so do you think there will still be another aretha franklin? there will never be another aretha franklin! there will a lwa y

and as fate would haveit luciana pavarotti and as fate would have it she was in new york at the timetes beforehand with no rehearsal and sang his signature aria, and thatis and sang his signature aria, and that is how our relationship again. and then, because it was such a success , and then, because it was such a success, she was requested from all over the country to be singing with orchestras and so our relationship continued with learning more repertoire, so, yes, i have the honour of teaching her her operatic arias. and as recently as three weeks ago. yes, that's why i was speaking with her, yes. well, she wa nted speaking with her, yes. well, she wanted to learn a new aria and we we re wanted to learn a new aria and we were talking about it and we scheduled it and then as i was going out the door i received a text to say, mary, iam out the door i received a text to say, mary, i am so sorry, i out the door i received a text to say, mary, iam so sorry, i have out the door i received a text to say, mary, i am so sorry, i have to cancel, but i will be talking with you and that's th