Watch Aretha Franklin Slay Her Final Public Performance

In what news outlets called her final public performance , Aretha Franklin  made it count.

The Queen of Soul, who died Thursday at age 76 from pancreatic cancer, sang a medley of hits, including “I Say A Little Prayer,” at Elton John’s AIDS Foundation gala in New York City in November. She was ailing but still slaying.

Some of her iconic vocal flourishes were unmistakable, bringing the audience to tears, John recalled.

“Thank you,” she said afterward.

Thank you, Ms. Franklin. 

“She was obviously unwell , and I wasn’t sure she could perform,” John wrote on his Instagram. “But Aretha did and she raised the roof. She sang and played magnificently, and we all wept.”