Bishop Charles H. Ellis III will think twice about ordering the next time he goes to Taco Bell.
The American Apostolic Pentecostal preacher was officiatingAretha Franklin’s 6½-hour “Celebration of Life” funeral serviceon Friday at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit when he brought up the famed fast-food eatery.
Ellis had just watched singerAriana Grandehonor Franklin with a cover of the Queen of Soul’s signature song, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” — a performance so moving to Ellis that he had to eat his words afterwards.
“I’ve got to apologize because I have to brush up,” Ellis said, joining Grande on stage. “When I sawAriana Grandeon the program, I thought that was a new something at Taco Bell.”
“My 28-year-old daughter tells me, ‘Dad! You are old at 60’ ” he joked.
Grande — clad in a black dress and wearing her trademark high-pony — laughed in response, giving Ellis a hug.
“Girl, let me give you all your respect,” Ellis said, asking the crowd. “Did you enjoy this icon? She is an icon herself. Come on, make her feel loved.”
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Fans on Twitter were quick to react — some with disgust and others with laughter.
“Bishop was wrong for that Taco Bell reference,” one wrote. “Ariana and her pony tail did not deserve that #ArethaHomegoing”
“That Taco Bell thing that was said toAriana grandewas a joke, something that y’all can’t seem to ever take,” said another.
Grande wasn’t mad, though. Before leaving the stage, she uttered a heartfelt “We love you, Aretha!” into the microphone. Her husband-to-be,Pete Davidson, watched proudly from the audience.
Gwendolyn Quinn, a Franklin family spokeswoman, previously told theFree Pressthat “Aretha was fond” of Grande, and that Franklin’s familyappreciated Grande’s tributeto Franklin — whodied on Aug. 16 of pancreatic cancerat age 76 — onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonearlier this month.
Ariana Grande/Instagram
There, Grandebroke downwhile performing “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” the Goffin-King classic made famous onFranklin’s 1967 Atlantic Records single.
“I met her a few times. We sang at the White House, and she was so sweet, and she was so cute,” Grande told Fallon. “I was like, ‘How are you a real person?’ It’s an honor to have met her, and we’re gonna celebrate her.”
Grande continued, “She called me one time. It was one time only. She called me. She goes, ‘Hi, it’s Aretha.’ And I was like, ‘Franklin?’”
RELATED VIDEO:Ariana GrandeCries While Singing ‘Natural Woman’ in Powerful Tribute to Aretha Franklin
As Grande’s fansspeculatedwhether or not Franklin’s death would overshadow Grande’s release of her new albumSweetener, the young pop star sharedtwo Instagram postsin honor of Franklin. “Forever,” she wrote alongsidea video of Franklinsinging “I Say a Little Prayer.”
Meanwhile, Franklin’s funeral continues on.
PresidentBill Clinton,Smokey Robinson, Rev. Jesse Jackson,Cicely Tyson, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, and Clive Davis are among the those who have spoken so far.
source: people.com
