They say one should never speak ill of the dead.
And while Justin Bieber did not actually disparage pop legend Prince, he managed to anger fans by giving a blunt comment on guitarist Andrew Watt's tribute to the newly deceased star on Thursday.
The former California Breed widdler made an emotional posting in which he declared that the Purple Rain superstar was his "guitar idol" and promised to channel him when he performed later that night.
Andrew, who also played guitar for Justin's Aussie pop rival Cody Simpson, hailed Prince as "the last of the greatest living performers" in an emotional tribute, and said "his instruments yielded a sexual transcending aura."
However it seems the pop pixie was not overly impressed with the musicians eulogy, as he posted a reply, which he has since deleted.
The 22-year-old Sorry singer said "Well not the last greatest living performer."
In fact the Canadian teen idol is on firm logical ground, as when the best in any field dies, someone must take their place.
However, given the music legend died aged 57 at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota on Thursday after being found unresponsive in an elevator, it was not the most considerate of responses.
His comment angered many of Andrew's followers, with one saying: "B**** you're barely mediocre, sit your entire scrawny delinquent a** down."
However others leapt to his defence, believing he had been misinterpreted, with one saying: "Stop hating on Justin he dint (sic) even mean it like that."
Back in 2010 the When Doves Cry legend was not overly complimentary when asked about the Biebs on The View.
He said: "The key to longevity is to learn every aspect of music that you can. I hope he does pick up an instrument and gets a new teacher."
