Bishop at Aretha Franklin's funeral apologises to Ariana Grande

Social media users called out Bishop Charles H. Ellis III saying he touched Grande inappropriately

Bishop Charles H. Ellis, III, right, speaks with Ariana Grande after she performed during the funeral service for Aretha Franklin AP 

The bishop who officiated Aretha Franklin's funeral apologised to Ariana Grande for how he touched her onstage and a joke he made about her name.

Bishop Charles H. Ellis III led Franklin's funeral and awkwardly greeted Grande on stage after she performed (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Images of the moment showed Ellis' hand holding Grande well above her waist.

The preacher apologised in an interview with The Associated Press at the cemetery where Franklin was interred late on Friday.

"Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologise," Ellis said.

He said he hugged all the performers during Friday's eight-hour service.

"I hug all the female artists and the male artists," Ellis said. "Everybody that was up, I shook their hands and hugged them. That's what we are all about in the church. We are all about love."

He added: "The last thing I want to do is to be a distraction to this day. This is all about Aretha Franklin."

Many people posted close-up images of the moment on Twitter, tagging it #RespectAriana.

Ellis also apologised to Grande, her fans and Hispanic community for making a joke about seeing her name on the programme and thinking it was a new item on the Taco Bell menu.

"I personally and sincerely apologise to Ariana and to her fans and to the whole Hispanic community," Ellis said. "When you're doing a program for nine hours you try to keep it lively, you try to insert some jokes here and there."

Ellis' touching of Grande overshadowed some criticism earlier in the ceremony over the short dress Grande wore for her performance. Numerous people posted criticisms online that the dress was too short for church.

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Read more:

Fans mourn Aretha Franklin at gospel-infused public viewing

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, dies aged 76

Tributes for the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin - in pictures

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