The Grammy Awards hit a different note tonight following the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. The ceremony took place in the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Bryant played 20 seasons for the Lakers.
“Tonight is for Kobe,” Lizzo announced in honor of the athlete, who perished at 41 years old in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif.
Lizzo stood tall in a custom black Christian Siriano off-the-shoulder ball gown coated in glittering jewels, before switching into a bodysuit with custom Swarovski crystal-embellished Stuart Weitzman combat boots. She also won her first-ever Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance and continued to share her kind words about Bryant in her acceptance speech.
“This whole week, I’ll be lost in my problems, stressed out and then in an instant all of that can go away and your priorities really shift. Today, all my little problems that I thought were as big as the world were gone, and I realized there are people hurting right now,” Lizzo said in reference to the Lakers star.
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The show’s host, Alicia Keys, also brought the audience together with her words about Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who also lost her life in the tragic accident.
“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,” said Keys. “We’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built.”
“Right now, Kobe and his daughter Gianna and all those that have been tragically lost today are in our spirits, our heart, our prayers. … Their spirits are in this building,” continued Keys. “I just want everyone to take a moment and hold them inside you.”
Boyz II Men then joined Keys for an acoustic rendition of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”
DJ Khaled, John Legend, Meek Mill, Kirk Franklin, Roddy Ricch and YG joined to pay tribute to Bryant and rapper-Puma collaborator Nipsey Hussle, who was killed in March 2019 at the age of 33.
Bryant was drafted No. 13 overall in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Lakers. During his 20-year career, the baller earned two NBA Finals MVP awards and was the league MVP in 2008.
Click through the gallery to remember Kobe Bryant, the family man.
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