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Gospel superstar Kirk Franklin got the surprise of his life when he was asked by the South African government to perform at Nelson Mandela’s recent memorial service. Franklin was already in Johannesburg for three performances and was scheduled to leave prior to Mandela’s festive memorial service at FNB Stadium.

Franklin was stopped as he was about to board a plane home and asked if he would like to perform at the memorial. Kirk told CNN that he graciously accepted, asking the South African government to pull his crew’s bags off of the airplane.

Franklin performed in front of 90,000 plus people, including President Obama and hundreds of world leaders He told CNN, “I just wanted to make Nelson Mandela proud, South Africa proud, my hometown and family proud, and share my beliefs.”

Watch Kirk Franklin’s performance below:

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