Aretha bishop sorry for ‘groping’ Ariana
THE Bishop who led Aretha Franklin’s funeral service has apologised to Ariana Grande after being accused of touching her inappropriately.
Bishop Charles Ellis III, 60, appeared to make the 25-year-old singer feel awkward on stage after she performed Miss Franklin’s 1967 hit (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.
Footage showed the Pentecostal minister placing his hand around Miss Grande’s back with his fingers by her breast.
The clip was shared online within hours of Friday’s funeral, angering many fans. He said: ‘It would never be my intention to touch any woman’s breast. I guess I put my arm around her. Maybe I crossed the border... was too friendly or familiar but, again, I apologise.’
Bishop Ellis added that he had hugged all the performers during the service, which lasted more than eight hours.
He said: ‘The last thing I want to do is to be a distraction to this day. This is all about Aretha Franklin.’ He also apologised for joking to mourners that he thought Ariana Grande’s name was a new item on the menu at Taco Bell, a Tex-Mex restaurant chain.
It emerged yesterday that Miss Franklin did not leave a will.
Lawyers warned it could take years to establish how many millions of dollars her estate was worth and divide it between her four sons. Don Wilson, one of her attorneys, said he repeatedly urged her to draft one, adding: ‘She never told me, “No, I don’t want to do one”.
‘She understood the need. It just didn’t seem to be something she got around to.’