Beyoncé issues an apology to the family members of the victims of NASA's Challenger disaster for using an audio clip following the fatal explosion: "My heart goes out to the families of those lost in the Challenger disaster."
Beyoncé garnered herself a lot of criticism when she used audio from the space shuttle Challenger disaster in her track 'XO'.
The family members of the victims, who were killed when the NASA space shuttle exploded shortly after take-off in 1986, were outraged when the song opens with a six-second audio sample that was immediately recorded after the disaster.
NASA public affairs officer Steve Nesbitt's voice features on the track saying, "Flight controllers here looking very carefully at the situation. Obviously a major malfunction," before the track begins.
Challenger Space Shuttle Commander Dick Scobee's widow, June Scobee Rogers, told ABC News she was "disappointed" with the use of the clip.
"We were disappointed to learn that an audio clip from the day we lost our heroic Challenger crew was used in the song 'XO,'" she said.
"The moment included in this song is an emotionally difficult one for the Challenger families, colleagues and friends. We have always chosen to focus not on how our loved ones were lost, but rather on how they lived and how their legacy lives on today."
The 32 year-old pop-star was quick to address the backlash from the victim's family members and in a statement to ABC News (Dec 30th), she said;
"My heart goes out to the families of those lost in the Challenger disaster. The song 'XO' was recorded with the sincerest intention to help heal those who have lost loved ones and to remind us that unexpected things happen, so love and appreciate every minute that you have with those who mean the most to you."
"The songwriters included the audio in tribute to the unselfish work of the Challenger crew with hope that they will never be forgotten," she added.
The space shuttle exploded 73 seconds after taking off from the Kennedy Space Center Jan 28th, 1986. All seven crewmembers aboard were killed.
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