Fox News honored the life of Aretha Franklin with an image of Patti LaBelle.
On Thursday, following reports that the Queen of Soul had died at the age of 76, Fox News broadcast a lengthy video featuring Franklin’s life and performances.
The video, while sincere, had a glaring issue. At around the 3:30 mark, there’s an image of Franklin with the text “1942 2018.” Transposed on that image in the upper right corner is a photo of a woman singing.
A fast glance would lead you to believe it’s Franklin. It’s not. It’s the legendary singer Patti LaBelle.
The photo is from LaBelle’s 2014 performance of “Over The Rainbow” for then-President Barack Obama .
Fox News later apologized for the error.
“We sincerely apologize to Aretha Franklin’s family and friends,” Jessica Santostefano, Fox News’ vice president, media desk, said in a statement. “Our intention was to honor 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.”
People on social media have begun to notice:
Franklin and LaBelle for years had a contentious relationship. Still, LaBelle appeared to bury the hatchet on Twitter after Franklin’s death.
“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,” wrote LaBelle.
This article has been updated with comment from Fox.
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