Aretha Franklin 'rejected invite' to perform at Trump inauguration

Aretha Franklin reportedly refused to sing at Donald Trump's inauguration,

Franklin died aged 76 after a battle with cancer, but her music and impact will long be celebrated.

Shortly after Trump's shock election victory, the Presidential Inaugural Committee chairman Tom Barrack was ordered by Trump to ask Franklin to play the gig, the Daily Beastreports.

It didn't go to plan. The Queen of Soul told friends there was "no amount of money" that could compel her to perform at the ceremony, the publication reports.

The civil rights activist, who opened the Democratic National Convention with a rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in 1968 to a torrent of racial abuse, reportedly despised his politics.

Instead, Trump settled for country singer Toby Keith and rock band 3 Doors Down.

Franklin performed at Barack Obama's inauguration and a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail.

Franklin occasionally performed at Trump-owned venues such as Trump Castle, the Trump Taj Mahal Casino and Trump International Hotel and Tower, but was never an 'employee' of Trump despite him implying otherwise, fact-checking site Snopes reports.

Trump had raised eyebrows by claiming Franklin had 'worked for him' on multiple occasions. The White House refused to explain what that actually meant.

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