The Recording Academy paid tribute to those artists who we lost this year with star-studded performances during the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Country music singer Loretta Lynn, Fleetwood Mac vocalist Christine McVie, and Migos rapper Takeoff (Kirsnick Khari Ball) were all remembered during Sunday night’s ceremony.
Kacey Musgraves performed Lynn’s hit song, “Coal Miners Daughter” in honor of the singer, who passed away in October at the age of 90. Surrounded by bouquets of red and purple flowers, She sat barefoot on the stage wearing a red dress, strumming a guitar that read “Loretta Lynn.”
Takeoff’s uncle, Quavo, paid tribute to his nephew with a performance of his song, “Without You” alongside Maverick City Music, a worship music group. They incorporated the song “See you Again” by Charlie Puth into the act, as well.
Puth responded to his song’s cameo on Twitter. “Wow… I just got chills hearing how they incorporated See You Again into Quavo’s performance for Takeoff. What an honor, thank you for using it,” he wrote.
Takeoff tragically died in November at the age of 28 after being shot at a party in Houston. The third member of “Migos,” his cousin Offset, noticeably did not join him onstage.
“Can’t tell you how many times I cried,” Quavo sang while on stage.
Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt also joined together to sing “Songbird” in honor of McVie, who passed in November at age 79. Fleetwood thumped a drum as Crow sun from the piano, while Raitt sat solo against a backdrop of flowers.
Also remembered during the “In Memoriam” tribute was DJ Stephen “Twitch” Boss, country singer Naomi Judd, guitarist Jeff Beck, honky-tonk icon Mickey Gilley, crossover star Olivia Newton-John, rapper Coolio and folk songwriter David Crosby, among others.
The 2023 awards event kicked off at 8 p.m. Eastern time in Los Angeles, taking place at the Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center.
Trevor Noah hosted the bash for the third year in a row. The globe’s most streamed artist Bad Bunny opened the ceremony with a medley of his songs, “El Apagon” and “Despues De La Playa. The show also featured performances from artists like Brandi Carlisle, Sam Smith and Kim Petras, Lizzo, Mary J. Blige and more.
This year’s presenters included “Late Late Show” host James Corden, First Lady Jill Biden, recent EGOT club inductee Viola Davis, pop star Olivia Rodrigo, comedian Billy Crystal, rapper Cardi B., country star Shania Twain and actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
