Sheila E almost bailed on Prince BET Awards tribute

Sheila E came close to pulling out of a planned tribute performance to her former lover Prince because she was still so overcome with grief over his death.
The musicia took the stage at the BET Awards last month (Jun16) for a 10-minute medley of Prince hits, but in a new interview with U.S. newsman Larry King, she admits she almost bailed on the performance because her emotions were still too raw following his passing in April (16).
“It was hard to do,” Sheila admitted. “When I said yes to BET, I reluctantly said yes because it was too close to after him passing (sic), and I didn’t think I’d be able to do it. At that time, I couldn’t look at a picture of him; I couldn’t listen to his music. Anytime anyone said anything and ‘how are you doing?’ I’d just start crying.”
“It was just very emotional,” she said of the actual performance. “Even putting the music together was very emotional because I had to sit down and think about: ‘What am I gonna do that I could get through and perform without breaking down?’ I tried to do music that him and I are both known for.”
Among the tracks Sheila performed in his honour were U Got The Look, The Glamorous Life and Baby I’m a Star.
BET Awards organisers were praised for their multiple tributes throughout the awards show, including impressive performances by Janelle Monae, Erykah Badu and The Roots.
The event was quite the contrast from the Billboard Music Awards in May (16), when Madonna and Stevie Wonder were criticised for their performance of Purple Rain.
Sheila E. told King she still hasn’t seen their tribute.