On a night to honor music's biggest names of today, the show took a turn to remember a few of the legends that started it all with the news that Bee Gees singer Robin Gibbs passed away Sunday morning.
Hosts Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen kicked off the night—held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas—with plenty of laughs, but a beautiful tribute to Whitney Houston proved to be one of the show's most memorable moments.
And that wasn't the only time our eyes were glued to the boob tube…
Modern Family hosts Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen served up a large dose of laughs—poking fun at their rock and roll cred and showing two hilarious music video parodies made for the event. "We are extremely white and somewhat suburban. Rock 'n' roll!" exclaimed the Modern Family dad. Seriously, could they be any cuter?!
A performance from LMFAO opened the show in a colorful manner with a "shuffling" zebra and a mid-song strip tease as the duo shimmied and shouted they are not sorry for party rocking.
Katy Perry stunned with her purple hair and matching sequin dress, thanking her fans and her record label as she accepted the Spotlight Award. Later in the show, the "Part of Me" singer debuted her new song "Wide Awake" and showed off her softer side with an angelic performance.
As the show continued, the hilarious hosting team took a moment of silence in honor of Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb. "His voice and the music of the Bee Gees will live on forever," Bowen said.
Natasha Bedingfield also remembered another of 2012's fallen music legends—singing Donna Summer's hit "Last Dance" as a video tribute rolled in the background.
Adele dominated this year's show (Grammy déjà vu, anyone?), taking home 12 awards. The show also featured three special awards: Stevie Wonder received the Icon Award, while Whitney Houston was posthumously honored with the Millennium Award, which daughter Bobbi Kristina accepted on her monther's behalf. Jordin Sparks and John Legend paid tribute to the diva and Sparks stole the spotlight, belting out a beautiful rendition of Houston's hit "I Will Always Love You." Taylor Swift also made history as the youngest person to receive the Woman of the Year Award.
Whew, what a night!
Here's the complete list of winners:
Artist Awards
Artist: Adele
New Artist: Wiz Khalifa
Male Artist: Lil Wayne
Female Artist: Adele
Duo/Group: LMFAO
Billboard 200 Artist: Adele
Hot 100 Artist: Adele
Digital Songs Artist: Adele
Radio Songs Artist: Adele
Touring Artist: U2
Social Artist: Justin Bieber
Streaming Artist: Rihanna
Digital Media Artist: Adele
Pop Artist: Adele
R&B Artist: Chris Brown
Rap Artist: Lil Wayne
Country Artist: Lady Antebellum
Rock Artist: Coldplay
Alternative Artist: Coldplay
Latin Artist: Shakira
Dance Artist: Lady Gaga
Christian Artist: Casting Crowns
Album Awards:
Billboard 200 Album: Adele, 21
Pop Album: Adele, 21
R&B Album: Beyoncé, 4
Rap Album: Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV
Country Album: Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party
Rock Album: Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
Alternative Album: Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
Latin Album: Romeo Santos, Formula: Vol. 1
Dance Album: Lady Gaga, Born This Way
Christian Album: Casting Crowns, Come to the Well
Song Awards:
Hot 100 Song: LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock, "Party Rock Anthem"
Digital Song: LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock, "Party Rock Anthem"
Radio Song: Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer, "Give Me Everything"
Streaming Song (Audio): Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
Streaming Song (Video): Nicki Minaj, "Super Bass"
Pop Song: LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock, "Party Rock Anthem"
R&B Song: Kelly Rowland featuring Lil Wayne, "Motivation"
Rap Song: LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock, "Party Rock Anthem"
Country Song: Jason Aldean, "Dirt Road Anthem"
Rock Song: Foster the People, "Pumped Up Kicks"
Alternative Song: Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
Latin Song: Don Omar & Lucenzo, "Danza Kuduro"