VIDEO: Jennifer Hudson Performs Aretha Franklin Tribute at Pulitzer Prize Ceremony

On Tuesday night, Jennifer Hudson made a surprise performance at the Pulitzer Prize luncheon, to honor the late Aretha Franklin.

Franklin received a posthumous special citation at the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Arts, Drama, and Music "for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades."

Hudson sang "Amazing Grace" as she closed out the Pulitzer luncheon at Columbia University. Watch the performance below!

Hudson was chosen by Franklin herself to star in the biopic of her life, titled Respect. Acclaimed stage director Liesl Tommy, the first black woman to earn a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play the feature film based on the life of music icon Aretha Franklin.

Respect is the remarkable true story of Aretha Franklin's journey to find her voice in the midst of the turbulent social and political landscape of 1960s America. Ms. Franklin landed over 100 singles in the Billboard charts, including 17 Top 10 pop singles and 20 No. 1 R&B hits, winning 18 GRAMMY AWARDS and was the first female to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Franklin's reinvention of Otis Redding's "Respect" as a feminist anthem transformed her into an icon of the civil rights and women's movements. Her cultural impact was felt throughout her career, from her singing at Dr. Martin LUTHERKing's memorial service to performing at three presidential inaugurations. In addition to "Respect," her countless hits including "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Do Right Woman - Do Right Man," and "Think" were beloved around the world and will be featured in the motion picture.