Pastor accused of groping Ariana Grande at Aretha Franklin funeral apologizes

The bishop who officiated Aretha Franklin's funeral last Friday has apologized after being accused of groping singer Ariana Grande.

Grande was one of several singers paying tribute to the "Queen of Soul" and performed one of her hit songs, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."

After she finished her performance, Bishop Charles H. Ellis III thanked the star on stage.

'Girl, let me give you all your respect,' he said, as he embraced her.

He then asked the crowd, 'Did you all enjoy this icon?' and added, 'She's an icon herself.'

But he faced backlash on social media, where images circulated of the bishop embracing her with his hand high above her waist.

Others were angry about a joke the bishop made about the star's name.

'When I saw Ariana Grande on the program, I thought that was a new something at Taco Bell,' he told the singer.

#RespectAriana was later trending on Twitter as social media users made known their feelings. Bishop Ellis has since apologized in an interview with The Associated Press.

He said: 'It would never be my intention to touch any woman's breast. ... I don't know I guess I put my arm around her. Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologize.'

He then said he hugged all the performers, male and female during the eight-hour service.

'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 said.

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

He also apologized to Grande and the Hispanic community for his Taco Bell joke.

'When you're doing a program for nine hours you try to keep it lively, you try to insert some jokes here and there,' he said.