The legendary singer also details her last conversation with Aretha Franklin.
It turns out The Masked Singer hasn’t just captured the attention of millions of viewers, it’s also got some music industry legends playing the guessing game!
On Sunday, ET’s Nischelle Turner caught up with Patti LaBelle at Aretha! A GRAMMY Celebration for the Queen of Soul where she revealed that not only has she been tuning in, she’s also got a guess as to who the Bee is. As fans know, the black-and-yellow-clad performer took the stage during this season’s second episode to perform Sia’s hit, “Chandelier.”
“Yes, some people thought it was me,” LaBelle began, before adding, “I think it’s Gladys [Knight]… She’s a queen bee!”
There’s no denying that the Bee conjured Knight’s measured, soulful delivery and breathtaking range. But we’re just going to have to wait and see if LaBelle knows her friend’s voice as well as she thinks she does.
The 74-year-old songstress also shared just how important Aretha Franklin’s music, friendship and legacy means to her.
“She was my hero and she still is my hero,” she said. “She’s mine. I’m trying to be what she is and I’ve always wanted to sing her songs. The one I sang tonight, I sing the very end of it at the end of all of my shows, “Call Me.”
LaBelle was just one of many GRAMMY winners who sang Franklin’s hits at the concert. Other performers included Kelly Clarkson, Common, Celine Dion, John Legend, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson.
Later, LaBelle explained that she and Franklin had been discussing doing a duet not long before her death, lending new meaning to her performance at the tribute concert.
“We talked three months before she passed, she called me and we talked about a lot of stuff,” she recalled. “And I said to her, I already told you, Aretha that we have to do a duet. ‘Patti, I wanna do that with you.’ So we planned it and my singing tonight for her, it makes me feel like that we did that duet.”
Aretha! A GRAMMY Celebration for the Queen of Soul airs March 10 on CBS.
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