Ariana Grande Pays Tribute To Aretha Franklin With Emotional Tonight Show Performance

"No Tears Left to Cry" singer Ariana Grande honored the late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, during an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018.

Paying tribute to Franklin, who passed away earlier that day as a result of advanced pancreatic cancer, Grande opened the show and sang the music legend's hit song "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" with the late-night show's in-house band The Roots. And, understandably, Grande appeared to shed a few tears as she mourned the loss of one of music's greatest performers.

As TMZ reported, Grande, who's been promoting her new album Sweetener, was only slated to appear in a comedy sketch with host Jimmy Fallon. However, when she arrived on set, producers reportedly asked her to sing a song by Franklin instead. According to the gossip rag, Grande initially resisted, stating that she was "too emotional" to perform as Franklin had been "one of her heroes." But famed musician and The Roots' drummer Questlove reportedly managed to convince Grande to sing by telling her it "would be awesome" for them to combine their talents to honor Franklin.

After her performance, Grande is said to have left the stage in tears. Fallon later thanked Grande on Twitter for her last-minute performance, writing, in part, "I know it's a big night for Ariana — but this is what great people do when they know we need them to be there for us."

However, Grande didn't just sing on The Tonight Show. She later returned as a guest, sitting down with Fallon to share her personal experiences with Franklin. "I met her a few times. We sang at the White House and she was so sweet and she was so cute," the pop star shared. "It's an honor to have met her."

Following the news of Franklin's death, many celebrities took to social media to mourn the loss of the music icon — proving that Franklin left a mark on more people than one could even imagine.