Justin Bieber's representative dismisses 'fabricated' Prince criticism

An Instagram.com comment Justin Bieber reportedly posted online criticizing Prince is completely fake, according to the singer's representative.

The What Do You Mean? star hit headlines on Friday (22Apr16) after he was said to have commented on a Prince tribute shared on the photo-sharing site by singer/songwriter Andrew Wyatt.

In the post, Wyatt honored the Purple Rain legend by describing him as "the last of the greatest living performers", but, in a screen shot published by users of a Twitter account called Shady Music Facts, Bieber allegedly disagreed and responded by stating, "Well not the last greatest living performer".

The image of the comment went viral, prompting Prince fans to attack Bieber online, with one Instagram user stating with disgust, "Can't believe some little wanna be child would disrespect someone as amazing as prince!"

"I'm content to say that Prince has more talent in his little toe nail than @justinbeiber (sic) will ever have," added another angry follower.

Bieber, who is currently on tour, has yet to speak out directly about the controversy, but his publicist tells GossipCop.com the picture of his alleged comment was entirely "fabricated".

The 22-year-old has been a little quieter on social media of late as he concentrates on his Purpose World Tour, which he kicked off in March (16) in Seattle, Washington.

However, Bieber wasn't too busy to party with the Prime Minister of Antigua, Gaston Browne, at a bash he threw on Jumby Bay Island last weekend (16-17Apr16) to celebrate his chart success, according to British newspaper The Sun.

Bieber made his chart comeback in November (15) with Purpose, his fourth studio album, after a rough couple of years, during which the singer became more well known for his legal troubles than his musical talents.