Cousin Dionne Warwick became the latest to succumb to the wrath of the Beyhive after saying that 23-time Grammy winner Beyoncé hasn't achieved "icon" status quite yet.

In an interview with Essence published Wednesday, Warwick, 78, acknowledged Bey's success in the music industry.

"I have an admiration for Beyoncé Knowles Carter now," the New Jersey native said. "Watching her growth has been quite refreshing. It's wonderful to see how she's been able to create what and who she wanted to be and who she is… very proud of that, I really am."

Had she stopped there, the Hive would have been satisfied. However, Warwick continued by saying Mrs. Carter has yet to cement herself as a big icon.

"Now sustaining and becoming a big icon that Gladys Knight, or Patti LaBelle, or Johnny Mathis, or Frank Sinatra, or Sammy Davis Jr. is? I doubt that. And I love her to death and can appreciate her talent. But that iconic status? It's a long road [ahead]."


Like clockwork, the Beyhive swarmed Warwick's Instagram page with hoards of bee emojis and tossed plenty of shade her direction on Twitter.

Not all Hive members were quick to criticize the "Valley of the Dolls" crooner, calling on fellow Bey stans to allow a living legend to have an opinion different from theirs.

Warwick clarified her comments in a since-deleted tweet, urging fans to comprehend what she actually said versus what Essence wrote.

"What I said is in quotes," ET Canada reports she wrote. "What @Essence said is not. It takes a long time to reach and achieve iconic status. That’s not to say that Beyoncé isn’t well on her way. She is a gifted performer. That was a reach from Essence."

Perhaps Tamera Mowry, who has also fallen victim to the Beyhive's rage this year, can give Ms. Warwick some advice on handling such a force like Bey's dedicated fans. 

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