Patti LaBelle accidentally blew her tribute to late music icon Tina Turner during the 2023 BET Awards Sunday night.
LaBelle paused while singing Turner’s hit “The Best” and admitted that she had trouble reading the teleprompter.
“I can’t see the words – I don’t know, I’m trying all of you,” she half sang, half speaking at one point.
But LaBelle, 79, quickly rallied and rallied as the crowd laughed at her misfortune.
The “I Wish You Knew” singer later told Entertainment Tonight that he tried “his best” to get over the awkward flu.
“Whatever my voice was, I was hoarse, cold, but whatever, I was giving up for Tina Turner because she’s the best,” LaBelle said.
“So you’ve heard of the occasional little tweak, but I love it and did my best.”
Meanwhile, the BET Awards shared their support for LaBelle, blaming “crowd enthusiasm” for blocking her teleprompter view.
“Due to the enthusiasm of the crowd, the teleprompter was blocked and prevented Ms. LaBelle from seeing the lyrics,” the organization told TMZ.
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“Nevertheless, we could not be more grateful to Miss LaBelle for lending her incredible talent to this moment.”
The awards ceremony stressed that it is “still an extraordinary privilege to celebrate the life and legacy” of the “unique” LaBelle and the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Page Six reached out to LaBelle and BET Awards representatives for comment.
Turner died of natural causes on May 24 after suffering a “long-term illness” at his $76 million mansion in Küsnacht, Switzerland. He was 83 years old.