The 2021 Grammy Awards looked back at the legendary performers who passed away over the last year.
During the In Memoriam segment at the March 14 ceremony, several notable artists performed songs to honor some of the musicians we'd lost, beginning with Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak's version of "Good Golly, Miss Molly" as a tribute to Little Richard. Little Richard passed away in May at age 87 after battling bone cancer.
Next, Lionel Richie sang Kenny Rogers' "Lay Down Beside Me" and concluded with, "I miss you, Kenny. I miss you, man." Kenny died in March 2020 at age 81 from natural causes.
To honor the late John Prine, Brandi Carlile sang his tune "I Remember Everything," which won Best American Roots Performance at the 2021 Grammys. John succumbed in April to complications from COVID-19 at age 73.
Finally, Brittany Howard and Chris Martin teamed up for "You'll Never Walk Alone" in tribute to Gerry Marsden, known as leader of the group Gerry and the Pacemakers. Gerry died in September at age 78 following an infection in his heart.
Many more music legends who passed away in the past year were honored on the screen, including Eddie Van Halen, Mary Wilson, Bonnie Pointer, Charlie Daniels, SOPHIE, Charley Pride, Adam Schlesinger, MF Doom and Pop Smoke.
At the start of the segment, host Trevor Noah shared, "Now as we put the Grammy spotlight on workers at independent music venues tonight, we remain thankful for all of our essential workers around the world who have done so much to ensure that so many of us have survived. We also recognized that during this past year, unlike any other, the loss of life has been historic."
He continued, "And so tonight we want to remember the enduring impact of those in our music community who we have lost this past year. That loss has been immense."
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