The death of NBA star Kobe Bryant shocked the world on January 26, hours before the 62nd annual Grammy Awards were scheduled to begin. Host Alicia Keys began the GRAMMYs by paying tribute to the late athlete and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in the STAPLES Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and the venue for the 2020 awards ceremony.
Kobe and his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant were among the passengers on board a helicopter that crashed in Calabasas on Sunday, January 26. Reports said that Bryant and his teenage daughter were en route to a travel basketball game. For more coverage on the tragic accident, click here.
The 62nd Grammy Awards Began With an Unplanned Tribute to Kobe Bryant
“We’re standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built,” host Alicia Keys says #GRAMMYs t.co/k6dOKYyZEH
Keys took the GRAMMYs stage at the start of the show not to deliver a planned monologue, but to address the loss that everyone was feeling following the helicopter accident that took the lives of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, as well as the others on board. She said “Here we are, together on music’s biggest night, celebrating the artists that do it best. But to be honest with you, we’re all feeling crazy sadness right now because, earlier today, Los Angeles, America, and the whole wide world lost a hero. And we’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built.” Bryant retired from the Lakers in 2016.
Continuing, Keys said “Right now, Kobe and his daughter Gianna and all those that have been tragically lost today are in our spirit, they’re in our hearts, they’re in our prayers, they’re in this building. And I would like to ask everyone to take a moment and hold them inside of you, and share our strength and our support with their families. We never imagined in a million years we’d have to start the show like this, so we wanted to do something that would describe, a tiny bit, what we’re all feeling right now.”
Then, Boyz II Men joined Alicia Keys on stage for an impromptu, a cappella version of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye” in tribute to Bryant and the other lives lost. While they sang, the camera cut to teary-eyed celebrities and audience members, visibly moved and mourning the unexpected loss.
Many Celebrities Paid Tribute to Bryant During Red Carpet Interviews & Grammy Award Acceptances
It is no surprise that Bryant and the other passengers killed in the accident were at the forefront of the GRAMMY attendees’ and honorees’ thoughts heading into music’s biggest night.
When Lizzo accepted her first award of the night, she commented on how the events of that morning put life into perspective for her and made her rethink the things she thought were problems and focus on what truly matters. Earlier in the night, before Lizzo opened the GRAMMYs with a medley of her hit songs, she addressed the crowd and said “Tonight’s for Kobe.”
After Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X accepted their two awards for “Old Town Road,” Cyrus took to Twitter to dedicate the wins to Bryant. In a tweet, he wrote “So honored to win Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. I’d like to dedicate both to Kobe and his beautiful daughter. Sending my thoughts and prayers to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
Before the GRAMMY Awards, Nick Jonas tweeted “Praying for the entire Bryant family and loved ones during this tragic time.”
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WATCH: Alicia Keys & Boyz II Men Grammys Tribute to Kobe Bryant