Joined by Jennifer Garner, Matt Damon and others, the legendary singer pay tribute to the Queen of Soul at the Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon.

AceShowbiz - Stevie Wonder had Aretha Franklin on his mind as he dedicated his performance at the Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon to his late friend.

The "Superstition" hitmaker joined fellow musicians like country group "Little Big Town and R&B crooner Charlie Wilson on the bill for Friday night's, September 7, TV fundraiser, an annual U.S. event to benefit efforts into cancer research.

During the hour-long show in Santa Monica, California, Stevie took the stage in memory of the Queen of Soul, a week after helping to close out Aretha's lengthy funeral service in Detroit, Michigan on 31 August. She had died from pancreatic cancer on 16 August.

Shortly before launching into his two-song set, Wonder took a moment to reflect on the power of love, telling viewers, "You know, I believe that if we just begin to love each other, across the nation and throughout the world, we will truly make love great again, because our love will find the cures to cancer and all the various things.

"So let's stand up to cancer and we will succeed."

He then belted out a cover of Jackie DeShannon's "What the World Needs Now", followed by his own tune, "Love's in Need of Love Today".

The Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon, which was co-executive produced by Bradley Cooper, also featured appearances from Jennifer Garner, Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey, and singer Keith Urban, among many other celebrities.

In the lead up to the 10th annual charity event, the fundraisers had raised over $480 million (£371.4 million), and Friday's show collected another $123 million (£95.2 million), a record for Stand Up 2 Cancer, which has been televised for the past six years.

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