At the BET Awards last night, one titan paid tribute to another. Patti LaBelle was on hand to sing the 1989 smash “The Best” in honor of the late, great Tina Turner, who died a month ago after a long illness. The performance was stirring, but at one point LaBelle stumbled over the lyrics, instead singing, “What if I can’t see the words I don’t know?” She recovered soon enough, but the incident occasioned a statement from BET:

It was an extraordinary privilege to celebrate the life and legacy of Ms. Tina Turner at BET Awards 2023. 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.

Watch that moment from the performance below.

This was not the first time LaBelle had a mishap with her cues on TV. Fun throwback to the 1996 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony:

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