‘TOO FRIENDLY’

Aretha Franklin Funeral Bishop: Sorry for Touching Ariana Grande

After coming under fire on social media for appearing to touch the singer’s chest after her performance.

The bishop who officiated Aretha Franklin’s funeral on Friday has apologized for causing a “distraction” at the ceremony with his demeanor toward singer Ariana Grande. Bishop Charles H. Ellis III had come under fire on social media for appearing to touch Grande a little too closely when he greeted her on stage after she performed “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Many Twitter users posted close-up images of Ellis as he embraced Grande, with his hand high above her waist and fingers on the side of her chest. “It would never be my intention to touch any woman’s breast. … I don’t know, I guess I put my arm around her,” Ellis told the Associated Press. “Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar, but again, I apologize,” he said. Ellis said he was also sorry to Grande and “the whole Hispanic community” for joking that her name sounded like a new item on the Taco Bell menu. “The last thing I want to do is to be a distraction to this day. This is all about Aretha Franklin.”