The 2020 Grammy Awards on Sunday night opened with a tribute to NBA legend Kobe Bryant, with Alicia Keys and R&B group Boyz II Men honoring Bryant and the eight others killed in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday morning.
Keys performed “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men, who joined her on stage at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
“Here we are, together, on music’s biggest night, celebrating the artists that do it best,” said Keys during her monologue. “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.”
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“And we’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built,” she added. “Right now, Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, and all of those that have been tragically lost today are in our spirit. They’re in our heats. They’re in our prayers. They’re in this building. And I would like to ask everybody to take a moment, and just hold them inside of you.”
“Hold them inside of you, and share our strength and our support with their families,” said Keys. “We never imagined in a million years we’d have to start the show like this. Never, never, never, never never, never. So we wanted to do something that could describe a tiny bit how we all feel right now.”
Keys — who was joined on stage by Boyz II Men — went on to sing “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”
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You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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