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.”
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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.
