The usual glitz of the Grammys was tempered by grief Sunday night as the music world paid tribute to Whitney Houston and showered its newest star Adele with awards.
A day after Houston was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel room at the age of 48, a dark cloud overshadowed the normally celebratory atmosphere.
From the start of the show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, host LL Cool J conveyed to the audience that the night would not be like any other awards program.
“There is no way around this. We had a death in our family,” he said. “So to me, the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved, to our fallen sister Whitney Houston.”
A video clip of Houston preforming her monster hit “I Will Always Love You” at the 1994 Grammys brought the star-studded crowd to its feet, many with tears in their eyes.
“Whitney, we will always love you,” LL Cool J said.
“Dreamgirls” star Jennifer Hudson performed “I Will Always Love You” as a tribute to Houston.
But the rest of the awards show belonged to Adele - who picked up the hat trick of major trophies with Song of the Year and Record of the Year for her hit, "Rollin' in the Deep' and Album of the Year for "21".
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off the show by performing their new single, “We Take Care of Our Own.”
Bruno Mars, up for six Grammys, paused in the middle of performing “Runaway” to say the night was more about healing.
“Tonight we celebrate music. Tonight we celebrate Whitney Houston,” Mars told the cheering crowd.
The first award of the night went to soulful British pop sensation Adele, whose song "Someone Like You" won Best Pop Solo Performance.
Coming off career-threatening throat surgery, Adele, who was up for six Grammys Sunday, thanked her doctor for saving her vocal cords.
Adele also picked up both the coveted Song of the Year and Record of the Year awards for “Rolling in the Deep.” Her record “21” also won for Album of The Year.
New York Giants receivers Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz got in on the act as the Super Bowl standouts presented Foo Fighters with Best Rock Performance for “Walk.” Cruz even showed off his salsa dance to wild cheers.
Three years after his career imploded on charges he beat beat ex-girlfriend Rihanna after pre-Grammys party, Chris Brown was awarded Best R&B Album for “F.A.M.E.”
“First and foremost, I just got to thank God for this opportunity,” said Brown, who performed his new single “Turn Up the Music.”
On the red carpet going into the Staples Center, entertainers also recalled Houston’s impact on their lives.
“Whitney Houston is the first voice and memory I think I have of music,” said singer Melanie Fiona, 28, who was up for two Grammy Awards.
“My mom used to play her for me to fall asleep in my crib,” Fiona said.
Many of the 78 awards up for grabs were handed out even before the live televised broadcast began.
At age 85, crooner Tony Bennett proved he was still relevant, picking up the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album for “Duets.” Bennett’s “Body and Soul” duo with the late Amy Winehouse, who died of alcohol poinsoning in July, won Best Pop Performance by a Duo.
“We shouldn’t be here. Our darling daughter should be here,” Winehouse’s father, Mitch, said after he and the singer’s mother, Janis, accepted the award.
The Foo Fighters picked up four awards, including Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song and Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance.
The techno-pop singer Skrillex won three Grammys for Best Dance Recording, Best Dance/Electronica Album and Best Remixed Recording for his song “Scary Monsters And Nice Spirits.”
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