The comedian receives criticisms after posting a portrait of the late jazz legend which is said making her look too white.
- August 18, 2018
AceShowbiz - Jim Carrey has faced a backlash for his artful tribute to musical icon Aretha Franklin after his portrait was criticised for making her look "white".
Carrey, 56, posted the sketch on Twitter on Thursday morning, August 16, hours after the Queen of Soul passed away, aged 76, at her home in Detroit, Michigan following a battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.
While many of his followers expressed their appreciation for the Dumb and Dumber star's latest artwork, in which he sketched her with lavender hair and a much lighter complexion, some were confused by the lack of pigment used to depict Franklin's black skin tone.
"Look how beautiful a life can be. Thank you, Aretha!" Carrey, who begun painting six years ago, captioned the photo.
Look how beautiful a life can be. Thank you, Aretha! pic.twitter.com/GpYGrq75mh
— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) 16 August 2018
The tweet quickly drew plenty of responses, however, several of the commenters asked Carrey, "Why is she white?" while another asked: "Is this not Kathy Bates."
But why is she white?
— Coraline Map-H ðŸ¸ðŸŒµ (@grrocket) 16 August 2018
Is this not Kathy Bates?
— Ash's Aunt Hillary (@Iced_Mango) 16 August 2018
But others commenting on the post defended Carrey's effort, explaining they interpreted the depiction as showing the singer "moving toward the light".
Despite the backlash in the comments, many thanked The Truman Show star for a "beautiful" and "thoughtful" tribute.
Carrey's most recent portraits have been political in tone, including a series of cartoons aimed at U.S. President Donald Trump.
Franklin died on Thursday after battling cancer, diabetes and other physical ailments.
Trump and his predecessors Barack Obama and Bill Clinton led the tributes to the (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman singer.
