Elton John honored Aretha Franklin as he tearfully spoke about their friendship and her health during the last weeks of her life. 

“I was shocked to see how thin she was, and she just smiled her sweet smile at me and said, ‘I didn’t want to let you down,’” he told The Associated Press at this year’s gala for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. He later added that Aretha “gave us one of the greatest performances of our lifetime.” 

“Artists like that don’t come around that often,” he said in his speech. “They are dying out, and it’s such a shame because there’s no one to replace them.” 

You’re right, Elton. You’re so right.

 

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A post shared by Aretha Franklin (@arethasings) on Jan 8, 2015 at 5:03pm PST