Viewers of The Masked Singer have blasted the show after judge Jonathan Ross mistakenly suggested that a singer who has died could be one of the celebrities taking part.

Following the performance “Daisy”, Jonathan guessed her real identity was singer and daughter of jazz musician Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole.

However, viewers soon noted that Natalie had actually been dead for over four years, having died at the age of 65 in 2015 due to congestive heart failure.

Many viewers complained about Jonathan’s error, especially as the show is pre-recorded, meaning there had been an opportunity to edit it out.  

To make matters worse, the mistake was also repeated on The Masked Singer’s official Twitter account, where they even tagged in Natalie’s legacy account – although the post has since been deleted. 

Following the error, ITV issued an apology, with a spokesperson saying: “This was a genuine mistake by the panel. We apologise if this caused any upset to viewers.”

“Daisy” was unmasked at the end of the show after being voted off.

It was revealed that US singer Kelis was the star behind the voice, which judge Rita Ora had correctly guessed. 

Explaining why she took part in the show, Kelis said: “People have just been telling me my voice was distinct my whole career, so I thought, well let’s see just how distinct it is.”

The clues that pointed to Kelis’s identity included those about food, because she is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, and those relating to jazz, as her late father Kenneth Rogers was a jazz musician.

Ex-footballer Teddy Sheringham, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, former home secretary Alan Johnson and EastEnders star Patsy Palmer have been unmasked in the series so far.

The Masked Singer continues next Saturday at 7pm on ITV.