A musical farewell to Luther Vandross

NEW YORK, July 9 (UPI) -- More than 2,000 people packed a Manhattan church for a final good-by to R&B crooner Luther Vandross.

The hearse carrying Vandross's body crossed Harlem on its way to Riverside Church, pausing in front of the Apollo Theater on 125th Street. The New York Times reported several hundred people waited outside the theater for its arrival.

The three-hour funeral service Friday featured tributes from Patti LaBelle, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.

Dionne Warwick listed the diverse singers Vandross backed during his stellar career -- "Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston,... and me."

Franklin sang "Amazing Grace, bringing the mourners to their feet and swaying in the pews. Vandross's own "The Power of Love" was the final tribute.

Vandross, 54, died last week from complications of a stroke he suffered two years ago.