Patti LaBelle Reacts to Tina Turner Tribute Teleprompter Mishap at BET Awards: 'I Did My Best' (Exclusive)

etonline.com:

Patti LaBelle paid tribute to her late friend and musical icon, Tina Turner, with a soul-stirring performance during the BET Awards.LaBelle took the stage to honor the incomparable Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, paying tribute to the late Turner with a rendition of «The Best.» Wearing a sparkly fringe minidress reminiscent of Turner's signature style, the Godmother of Soul showed off her powerhouse vocals as she belted out the song's lyrics — but not without a stumble here and there as she struggled to keep up with the teleprompter used to guide her through the song's entirety.

Although LaBelle's vocals were solid, she admitted she wasn't able to see the lyrics on the teleprompter throughout the tribute, telling the crowd, «I can't see the words and I don't know.

I'm tryin', y'all!»At one point, LaBelle asked, «Where are my background singers,» referencing her infamous performance of «This Christmas» at the 1996 National Tree Lighting Ceremony, where the «Lady Marmalade» singer's cue cards were out of order.Still, LaBelle powered through her stumbles and got back in sync with her background singers as the audience sang and danced along and ended the tribute to a standing ovation. «God bless you, Tina Turner,» she exclaimed on stage.LaBelle spoke with ET's Kevin Frazier backstage after her performance and opened up about why it was so important for her to honor Turner at the event and what it 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,» LaBelle said, as she got a bit emotional thinking about the late icon.