NILES — Andrew Curtis Farrow knew he was taking a chance in 2005, when he called Aretha Franklin’s agent to ask if he could book the Queen of Soul for the three-day long McDonald’s Gospelfest.

“I wanted her to come and do her gospel,” Farrow said. “I did not want her to do ‘Respect’ and the ones everybody knows.”

Franklin agreed to do the show, which no doubt probably helped the show to sell out three days in row. 

Among the most memorable moments, Farrow recalled Franklin finally stepping away from the piano after a performance. The crowd was going wild, they were on their feet, cheering and screaming her name. Farrow was waiting on the periphery of the stage and Franklin turned to him.

“She would come over to me, because I was always stage left and say, ‘Hey, baby. Is that good? Is there anything else you need?’” Farrow said. “This is the Queen of Soul, who has the house screaming and says, ‘is there anything else I can do?’”

Farrow, formerly of Niles, goes back to this moment when he thinks about Franklin’s life and the down to earth person she was, despite her stardom. Franklin, 76, died Aug. 16, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Wanting to give her a one-of-a-kind funeral, Franklin’s family contacted Farrow to produce her funeral. Farrow said he knew it was a huge opportunity to give something back to the Queen of Soul.

“I got on a plane the next morning … to the great pure state of Michigan and went right to work,” Farrow said.

Farrow, 59, grew up in Niles and graduated from Niles High School in 1978. Today, Farrow lives in Patterson, New Jersey. For the past 30 years, he has owned and operated his own company called Irving Streep Rep.  – a public relations, event planning and marketing company. According to Farrow’s website, the former Niles resident claimed two Emmy awards for his production of the McDonald’s Gospelfest.

Farrow is no stranger to producing funerals for superstars. Among many notable works, he is well-known for producing singer Whitney Houston’s funeral.

With input from Franklin’s family, Farrow said he helped to produce a funeral with the theme “Fit for a Queen.” And while funerals are known for being somber, Farrow said he wanted Franklin’s ceremony to be a jubilant celebration of the international icon.

People from across the world traveled to see Franklin laid to rest in a gold-colored casket. Her funeral took place on Aug. 31, at the Great Grace Temple in Detroit. Farrow said more than 4,000 people packed the church for the service, which lasted for more than seven hours, though he said it could have gone on for days, given the number of people who wanted to pay their respects.

No such home going party would be fit for the queen without ample music. Celebrities Faith Hill, Ariana Grande, as well as Jennifer Hudson and Stevie Wonder were just a few who performed music in Franklin’s honor. The artists paid homage to Franklin’s gospel roots with their performances. As a producer, this helped Farrow’s goal for the funeral. 

“I wanted more than anything for the Holy Spirit to be present, because that is what she would have wanted,” Farrow said. “People often forget that she was a child of God. I know we did that. Because the presence in the room was amazing. The spirit was so high. If anybody left there that day, they could not leave without saying ‘wow, that was really the spirit of God.’”

When Farrow looks back on Franklin’s legacy, he also remembers the friendship they developed following their earlier connection in the 2000s.

“I would not hear anything for six months and then I would get a text [from her] saying ‘hey, have you seen the ‘Have and Have Nots’?’ which was her favorite show,” Farrow said.

Farrow said Franklin knew she was the queen, but that did not take away her “down to earth” personality, a quality that helped to make the legendary singer even more adored by friends and fans, he said.

“When she passed away it was really a big loss,” Farrow said. “That’s why I think Michigan gave her such a big celebration. The governor was there and the mayor and everybody, because she gave and gave and gave. She loved Michigan. She loved Detroit.”