FORT WORTH -- Francine Reese Morrison, an internationally known gospel singer and minister from Fort Worth, died early Saturday after a long illness. She was 80.
Ms. Morrison was the first black person to participate in a governor’s inauguration when she sang at the inauguration of Gov. John Connally, said former longtime Star-Telegram columnist Bob Ray Sanders, a friend and fan.
“She has sung at political conventions and on special occasions honoring many great Americans, including singing for Martin Luther King Jr. when he visited Fort Worth in 1959, for Jesse Jackson when [House] Speaker Jim Wright had a private fundraiser for him, and she sang at the opening of the Houston Astrodome,” Sanders said.
She sang all over the world, including in Russia at a time when that country was cracking down on religion, Christianity in particular, Sanders said.
