Patti LaBelle's Flubbed BET Tribute To Tina Turner Wasn't Totally Her Fault

When Tina Turner died on May 24 at the age of 83, the world, along with fellow music legends, mourned her loss. "The words legendary, iconic, diva, and superstar are often overused and yet Tina Turner embodies them all and so many more — an incredible performer, musician and trailblazer. To me, she will always be a survivor and an inspiration to women everywhere. Her music will continue to inspire generations to come. Rest in Peace, Queen," Mariah Carey shared on Instagram. The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger tweeted, "I'm so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her."

A month later, during the BET Awards on June 25, Patti LaBelle took the stage to sing Turner's hit song, "The Best," as a tribute to her late friend. However, the "Lady Marmalade" singer made an oopsie when she flubbed the lyrics to the song. Metro tweeted, "At the BET awards, Patti LaBelle forgot some of the words to the iconic Tina Tuner song 'The Best' but recovered smoothly." 

While the stumble may have seemed unprofessional on LaBelle's part, there was a reason she had an onstage mishap and it had everything to do with some overzealous fans.

Patti LaBelle knows that the show must go on — even if you don't know the lyrics to a song. According to The Hollywood Reporter, halfway through singing "The Best," she stumbled over the words and told the crowd, "Whatever, I can't see the words. I'm trying y'all." She did recover eventually and ended her performance with, "God bless you, Tina Turner." BET later told THR, "Having the incomparable Ms. Patti LaBelle on our stage honoring one of her contemporaries was an equal privilege. Due to the crowd's enthusiasm, the teleprompter was obstructed, obscuring Ms. LaBelle's view of the lyrics. Nonetheless, we couldn't be more grateful to Ms. LaBelle for lending her incredible talent to this moment." A chagrined fan confirmed BET's statement by tweeting a video of the moment, writing, "Lmaooooo yall Patti couldn't see the teleprompter bc our section was standing in front of it omg."

LaBelle is not letting her faux pas get her down. "I was so blessed to honor Tina Turner because that's my friend from back in the day. Such a wonderful woman who has done everything. And so many people admire her. When I did it last night I was proud. I felt really great," she shared on "Good Morning America" the day after the performance. Mistakes happen, even to some of music's "best," like Patti LaBelle.