Sir Elton John, others remember Aretha Franklin's final live performance

HOUSTON – Sir Elton John said Aretha Franklin’s performance at The Elton John AIDS Foundation was her last.

That day, her voice filled the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

"We were all prepared to support her in some way,” said Million Air CEO Roger Woolsey, of Houston.

Woolsey is a pilot. He was prepared to help her, if needed. Instead, her performance stunned everyone.

"We knew she wasn't feeling well when she did the show. We really had no idea how she felt. It was amazing, because of the show. You wouldn't have known," Woolsey said.

WATCH: Footage of Aretha Franklin's final performance

John, actors Alec Baldwin and Neil Patrick Harris, and former President Bill Clinton were all there, but it was the Queen of Soul who everyone heard and remembers.

"When Aretha came out, it was standing room only rushing the stage. It's amazing to watch people of their stature. CEOs of major Fortune 100 companies rush a stage for a show," Woolsey said.

John introduced her that night as “The greatest soul artist of all time.”

After her death, in a post on Instagram, he wrote, ”She was obviously unwell, and I wasn’t sure she could perform. But Aretha did and she raised the roof. She sang and played magnificently, and we all wept.”

That included Woolsey.

"You hear great singers singing often. But it's soul-piercing because you really feel it all the way down to your soul," Woolsey said.