Patti LaBelle gave a strong and joyful efficiency in tribute to Tina Turner at Sunday’s BET Awards, even when she couldn’t fairly bear in mind all the lyrics.
LaBelle hit the stage to pay her respects to Turner, who died Might 24, on the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles about midway by way of the reside telecast.
LaBelle sang Turner’s “(Merely) the Greatest,” however she forgot the phrases throughout a number of moments.
“I’m attempting, y’all,” she mentioned after buzzing a number of notes earlier than hitting the refrain the primary time.
When she neglect the lyrics a second time, she mentioned “Oh lord” earlier than singing a pair extra phrases of the tune, after which sang, “No matter, I can’t see the phrases” to the tune’s tune. “I’m attempting, y’all,” she instructed the gang once more.
The gang danced and sang alongside to LaBelle, who exuberantly powered by way of nonetheless and completed seemingly with out one other main hitch.
“God bless you, Tina Turner, BET, hip-hop!” she exclaimed on the finish of her efficiency.
Requested for remark, a BET spokesperson instructed The Hollywood Reporter of the snafu: “It was a unprecedented privilege to rejoice the life and legacy of Ms. Tina Turner at BET Awards 2023. Having the incomparable Ms. Patti LaBelle on our stage honoring certainly one of her contemporaries was an equal privilege. Because of the crowd’s enthusiasm, the teleprompter was obstructed, obscuring Ms. LaBelle’s view of the lyrics. Nonetheless, we couldn’t be extra grateful to Ms. LaBelle for lending her unbelievable expertise to this second.”
Latto, Beyoncé, Coco Jones and Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor are among the many winners on the 2023 BET Awards. Learn extra.
