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American singer Patti Labelle sparked hilarious reactions online after she had issues with the teleprompter mid-performance while paying tribute to the late Tina Turner at the 2023 BET Awards. On June 25, the 79 year-old star set the stage on fire after she performed a rendition of Turner's 1989 hit The Best but had to take help from the crowd as she struggled to remember the lyrics of the song.
However, midway through her performance, Patti struggled to read the lyrics on the teleprompter and said:
"I can't see the words and I don't know. I'm tryin,' y'all!"
She also asked where her background singers were after she was unable to read the lyrics. For the performance, Patti Labelle wore a fringe minidress which was Turner's signature outfit for her shows.
The brief hiccup shocked several netizens and they reacted hilariously, with one of them commenting:
Twitter reactions on Patti Labelle's tribute performance for Tina Turner
After Patti Labelle encountered teleprompter difficulties and couldn't sing the lyrics of The Best while paying tribute to Tina Turner, Twitterati had a meme fest. Several users shared memes and GIFs as they couldn't believe that the singer forgot the lyrics and needed help from background singers while performing at the 2023 BET Awards.
Others shared GIFs on how Tina Turner would react "in heaven" after seeing Labelle forgetting her lyrics. Some users also shared Patti Labelle's iconic moment from her 1996 performance at the 1996 National Tree Lighting Ceremony, where she asked:
"Where my background singers?"
While speaking to Rolling Stone before her performance at the 2023 BET Awards, Labelle said she was "honored" to be able to pay tribute to Tina Turner.
"Tina was a trailblazer and someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for because of all that she overcame and all that she accomplished. She was and is everything! And I am honored that I am able to pay tribute to her in this way."
After her performance, Patti Labelle opened up about why it was so important for her to honor Tina Turner and what the late singer meant to her.
"It meant no matter what voice I'm in -- I'm hoarse, I have a cold -- but whatever, I had to, I was giving it up for Tina Turner, 'cause she's simply the best. So you heard a little tweak every now and then out there, but I love her, and I did my best."
Turner passed away peacefully at the age of 83 at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, on May 24, 2023. After she passed, Labelle paid a heartfelt tribute to the icon on her social media handle and called her "the Queen of Rock & Roll."
Tina Turner was married to German music executive Erwin Bach. She is survived by her adopted sons Ike Jr. and Michael. Her own sons, Craig Turner, and Ronnie Turner, died in 2018 and December 2022 respectively.
The 2023 BET Awards aired live on June 25 from Los Angeles, California.
