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Roland Martin recently spoke with Aretha Franklin about the life and legacy of the late, great Muhammad Ali.

During their conversation, Aretha talked about the first time she became aware of Ali and what made him so special.

“The Queen of Soul” told Martin Ali was “unpredictable.”

“You couldn’t exactly just guess where he was and he absolutely stood behind his convictions and his values, and he took a very strong stance and he didn’t waver,” she said.

When asked about Ali’s stance on the Vietnam War, Aretha said he refused to fight based on his religious values.

“I believe that everybody stands behind their religious values – almost every faith you can speak of stands behind their religious values, so that is what that was about with him,” she added.

Aretha continued: “He loved magic, he used to have all kinds of tricks back in the day that he would carry with him, and he would show you these different tricks or he would try them on you.”

The Queen of Soul also explained that Ali’s “personality was so mesmerizing and charismatic,” and said she will miss him, his “million-dollar smile and the great, great fights.” 

Watch Roland and Aretha reflect on the life of Ali in the video clip above.

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