LOS ANGELES, April 9 — Lorde has apologised after incensing Whitney Houston fans with a joke about a bathtub.

The 21-year-old singer posted a now-deleted Instagram photo of a tub being filled with running water and captioned it, "And iiii will always love you.”

The caption referenced a lyric from Houston’s 1992 recording of the Dolly Parton song I Will Always Love You.

Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub in a suite at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, in February 2012.

After being roasted on social media, Lorde posted a note on her Instagram Stories to apologise.

"Extremely extremely poorly chosen quote. I’m so sorry for offending anyone,” she wrote.

"I hadn’t even put this together I was just excited to take a bath.

"I’m an idiot. Love Whitney forever and ever. Sorry again.”