How do you address the death of a cultural icon during music’s biggest night?
Hours before the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday evening, the news broke that NBA legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter. Bryant was just 41 years old, and his sudden death shocked his fans in Los Angeles and beyond. So even before the Grammy Awards began, entertainers were already paying tribute to the athlete.
On the red carpet, actress Priyanka Chopra wore Bryant’s number, 24, on her nails, while Nick Jonas wore a purple ribbon in honor of Bryant’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
When Grammys host Alicia Keys kicked off the night, she adopted a somber tone.
“We’re all feeling crazy sadness right now,” she said. “We’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built.”
She urged attendees and viewers to focus on music, “the one thing that has the power to bring all of us together.”
“I know how much Kobe loved music,” Keys said later, “so we gotta make this a celebration in his honor.”
Before Lizzo began her performance, she announced, “Tonight is for Kobe.”
Lil Nas X performed his hit Old Town Road with Kobe’s jersey lying on a chair behind him.
While several overzealous media outlets have botched their reporting on Bryant’s death, and social media users were characteristically quick to offer some truly bad hot takes, performers in Los Angeles addressed his death with grace and respect. In the first moments after the tragedy, that’s the only appropriate response.
