Patti LaBelle’s Tina Turner Tribute At the BET Awards Foiled By Teleprompter Troubles: “I Can’t See The Words!”

Patti LaBelle, referred to as the “Godmother of Soul,” paid a powerful tribute to the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Tina Turner at this year’s BET Awards, in light of the star’s tragic passing last month.

LaBelle took to the stage, with Tina’s name in lights shining behind her, at the Microsoft Theater, preparing to sing Turner’s 1989 hit song “Simply the Best.”

Unfortunately, she became unable to see the teleprompter, exclaiming to the audience, “I can’t see the words and I don’t know. I’m tryin’, y’all!”

LaBelle then called out, “Where are my background singers?,” referencing the 1996 National Tree Lighting, when the cue cards were out of order during her performance of the holiday hit “This Christmas,” per People.

A representative from BET eventually told The Hollywood Reporter, “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.”

Following her performance, LaBelle told Entertainment Tonight that “no matter what voice (she was) in… (she) 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 continued.

Regardless, LaBelle pushed through and kept up the energy throughout the entirety of the performance, shouting out “God bless you, Tina Turner, BET, hip-hop!” to the crowd, who gave her an enthusiastic standing ovation.

According to THR, this year, the BET awards honored the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and rapper Busta Rhymes, while paying tribute to Turner and rapper Takeoff of Migos fame, who was killed last November. The other two members of Migos, Quavo and Offset, reunited to honor Takeoff, singing hits “Hotel Lobby” and “Bad and Boujee,” per CNN.