Mariah Carey paid tribute to Aretha Franklin on Thursday, March 25, which would have been the late legend's 79th birthday, by sharing a story behind their duet performance.
Franklin invited Carey on stage for an unforgettable duet of "Chain of Fools" during her performance on "VH1 Divas Live" in 1998
"She told the audience that she and 'my newest girlfriend' didn't get to rehearse. 'But she's going to come out and join me.' The band began 'Chain of Fools,' and I walked out on the stage," Carey said. "Her energy was so powerful. I just kept my focus on her and sang when she told me to sing. And we did the song."
"I ended with a bow and an 'All hail the queen!' How else do you exit a moment like that?" she recalls, adding that Franklin "Just jeered to me and said, 'Ms. Carey, that was enough for my soul.'"
Carey is celebrating Diva Week, as several celebrities have their birthdays on the last week of March, including Chaka Khan (March 23), Aretha Franklin (March 25), Diana Ross (March 26) and Mariah Carey herself (March 27).
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