New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The list of performers and speakers paying tribute to Gospel legend Andraé Crouch continues to grow, with
Stevie Wonder now confirmed to perform at today's Celebration of Life funeral service. The service is open to the public and will begin at 11:00am PST at West Angeles Church of God In Christ, located at 3600 Crenshaw Blvd in Los Angeles, California.
Cable network BET will stream the service "LIVE" at www.bet.com/andraecrouchfuneral. West Angeles Church of God In Christ will also stream at watch.westa.tv.
In addition to Stevie Wonder, performances are planned from CeCe Winans, BeBe Winans, Shirley Caesar, Ledisi, Yolanda Adams, Richard Smallwood, Tata Vega, Crystal Murden and original members of Andraé Crouch and the Disciples. The funeral will be officiated by Bishop Kenneth Ulmer, with a eulogy by Pastor Marvin Winans. Rev.
Jesse Jackson, Dr.
Bobby Jones and Kirk
Franklin will also speak. In addition, video tributes will be shown by Bishop T.D. Jakes, Kenneth Copeland, Michael W. Smith, The Pointer Sisters, Bill Gaither, The Winans Family, Bishop Clarence McClendon and Bishop Noel Jones.
Last night's all-star Tribute Celebration was attended by a capacity crowd of more than 4,000 people from around the world, and included performances by BeBe Winans, Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond, Hezekiah Walker, Bryan Duncan, Kurt Carr, Donald Lawrence,
Karen Clark-Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Kim Burrell, Byron Cage, Edwin Hawkins, Lynette Hawkins-Stephens,
David and
Nicole Binion, Erica Campbell, Smokey Norful, Richard Smallwood,
Israel Houghton and many more. The star-studded crowd also included Tyler Perry,
Queen Latifah,
Bobby Brown, Sheryl Underwood,
Sheila E. and others.
President Barack Obama issued a statement that reads, "Michelle and I were saddened to learn of the passing of music legend Pastor Andrae Crouch. Pastor Crouch grew up the son of a minister in California and discovered at a young age that he was blessed with extraordinary musical talent which would lead to an iconic career that spanned over 50 years. As a leading pioneer of contemporary gospel music, the soulful classics that Pastor Crouch created over the years have uplifted the hearts and minds of several generations and his timeless influence continues to be felt in not only gospel but a variety of music genres. We are grateful that his music and spirit will continue to live on for years to come and our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fans during this time."
About Andraé Crouch
Andraé's accolades include 7 Grammy Awards, 6 GMA Dove Awards, an Academy Award nomination for "The
Color Purple," induction into the Gospel
Music Hall of Fame and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His songs have been recorded by everyone from
Elvis Presley to Paul Simon, and he worked as a producer and arranger with many of music's top artists, including Michael Jackson, Madonna,
Quincy Jones, Diana Ross,
Elton John and many others. Andraé can also be heard on Michael Jackson's hit singles "Man in the Mirror," "Keep the Faith," "
Will You Be There" and "Earth Song."
