Franklin’s legacy certainly does live on in musicians like Hudson herself. Other musicians who have cited Franklin as an inspiration include Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, and Amy Winehouse. Blige happens to be one of Hudson’s co-stars in Respect; ironically, Blige portrays Dinah Washington who was one of Aretha Franklin’s biggest inspirations. Blige told Oprah:

"When I first heard that it was Jennifer [playing Aretha], I was happy because that's a no-brainer. Jennifer is an amazing singer. She has that thing in her voice like Aretha has in her voice. She could sing anything."

Not only did Hudson get the seal of approval from Blige, but one of Franklin’s dearest friends, Smokey Robinson took to Twitter to praise Hudson’s performance:

Robinson shared a photo of him and Hudson along with the sentiment that she made Franklin proud. Robinson and Franklin were not only good friends, but they were also contemporaries. The two were both inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year, 1987. Franklin was the first female inductee.