The death of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others has cast a pall over the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The ceremony is happening at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, where Bryant played 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and won five championships, and the mood so far at has been mournful.
To kick off the ceremony, host Alicia Keys made a heartfelt tribute to the 41-year-old sports legend:
Videos by VICE
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. We’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built. Right now Kobe and his daughter Gianna and all those who have been tragically lost today are in our spirits, in our hearts, in our prayers, and I would like to ask everyone to take a moment and just hold them inside and share our strength and 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 to try a tiny bit to show how we all feel right now.
Keys then began a touching rendition of Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday” and was joined by the iconic R&B group.
The moving performance set the tone for what will undoubtedly be somber night.
