Fox News apologizes for using Patti LaBelle’s photo in Aretha Franklin tribute

After Aretha Franklin passed away Thursday at the age of 76 due to pancreatic cancer, Fox News posted a tribute to the singer but got their queens of soul confused.

Fox News posted a highlight reel of Franklin’s interviews and performances but in the slide noting Franklin’s years of life, 1942-2018, there was a picture of Patti LaBelle in the background.

The image is from a 2014 performance at the White House, where she sang for former U.S. president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama.

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READ MORE: Aretha Franklin dead: Queen of Soul passes away at age 76

Many people on Twitter were quick to recognize the mistake.

https://twitter.com/kinseyschofield/status/1030191123300532225

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Fox News issued an apology for the mix-up. “We sincerely apologize to Aretha Franklin’s family and friends,” a Fox News spokesperson said. “Our intention was to honour the icon using a secondary image of her performing with Patti LaBelle in the full-screen graphic, but the image of Ms. Franklin was obscured in that process, which we deeply regret.”

Franklin sang at the event, called “In Performance at the White House: Women of Soul,” but LaBelle and Franklin never shared the stage.

View image in full screen

View image in full screen

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LaBelle shared her condolences after the Respect singer’s death.

“My thoughts, my heart and my prayers are with Aretha Franklin, the greatest singer of all time, and all of her loved ones right now,” LaBelle wrote on Twitter.

The singer tweeted, “I am deeply saddened about the passing of the Queen of Soul and my sister in song, Aretha Franklin. Today the world has experienced a tremendous loss. Aretha was a rare treasure whose unmatched musical genius helped craft the soundtrack to the lives of so many.”