Beyonce Knowles' tribute to Tina Turner at the Kennedy Center Honors in New York on Sunday night (04DEC05) almost fell on deaf ears when her microphone cut out seconds into her performance.

Dressed in a red, ragged Turner-style outfit, Knowles performed a rousing version of Proud Mary but not without incident.

Ever the professional, the former DESTINY'S CHILD star soldiered on as a stage hand dashed on to replace her faulty mic and then continued with an event-stealing performance.

Queen Latifah also performed a tribute to Turner, who was honoured alongside Tony Bennett by US President George W Bush at the black tie affair.