Jim Carrey posted a tribute to Aretha Franklin on Twitter on Thursday morning following the legendary singer’s death.
While many users expressed their appreciation for Carrey’s latest art rendering, others were bewildered by the tone of Franklin’s skin.
The portrait of the Queen of Soul depicts her with lavender hair and a significantly lighter complexion. Carrey captioned the picture, “Look how beautiful a life can be. Thank you, Aretha!”
https://twitter.com/JimCarrey/status/1030132449378856961
The replies to the tweet were plentiful, with many commenters expressing their concern over Carrey’s creative choices.
“Why is she white?” said some people commenting on the post, though some defended the depiction as showing the singer “moving toward the light.” A few users even went so far as to compare the portrait to “American Horror Story” actress Kathy Bates.
https://twitter.com/KT2Beeeeeee/status/1030133776352010245
https://twitter.com/Amrita_2810/status/1030138805217570818
https://twitter.com/Bilal_S_Haider/status/1030135056310980610
https://twitter.com/MBirdwether/status/1030150041384693760
— jinger jade (@jingerjade_) August 16, 2018
Is this not Kathy Bates?
— rebel’s cum (@Iced_Mango) August 16, 2018
thought it was Kathy Bates
— Fallon Stone | BLM (he/him) (@FallonStone) August 16, 2018
However, the response wasn’t all negative. Many people took to the comments to thank Carrey for a “beautiful” and “thoughtful” tribute.
https://twitter.com/LuxuryAccess/status/1030151651661729792
https://twitter.com/LornMyklsBitch/status/1030132788597600256
https://twitter.com/monicas17895526/status/1030162339331551239
Franklin died Thursday in Detroit at the age of 76, after battling diabetes and other physical ailments. Many public figures, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump, took to Twitter to express their condolences and gratitude for the singer’s musical contributions.