Stevie Wonder Clarifies Comments About Frank Ocean's Sexuality

Stevie Wonder has issued a statement clarifying comments he made about Frank Ocean, the R&B artist who recently revealed that he fell in love with a man several years ago.

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In an interview with the U.K.'s The Guardian last week, the legendary singer was asked if he was surprised that, in this day and age, there could be a "furor at the revelation that a rapper might be gay."

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Replied Wonder: "I think honestly, some people who think they're gay, they're confused. People can misconstrue closeness for love. People can feel connected, they bond. I'm not saying all [gay people are confused]. Some people have a desire to be with the same sex. But that's them."

But over the weekend, Wonder issued a statement to MTV News addressing those comments.

"I’m sorry that my words about anyone feeling confused about their love were misunderstood," he said. "No one has been a greater advocate for the power of love in this world than I; both in my life and in my music. Clearly, love is love, between a man and a woman, a woman and a man, a woman and a woman and a man and a man. What I’m not confused about is the world needing much more love, no hate, no prejudice, no bigotry and more unity, peace and understanding. Period."

In July, Ocean, now 24, posted an open letter on his Tumblr website in which he talked about his sexuality and the feelings he developed for the other man he met when he was 19.

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"By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant," he said. "It was hopeless. There was no escaping, no negotiating with the feeling. No choice. It was my first love. It changed my life."

Thanking his mother and other supporters, he added: "I feel like a free man. If I listen closely ... I can hear the sky falling too."

After Ocean's public admission, stars including Beyonce came forward to applaud his decision.