Frey, White Get Tributes, Rihanna Pulls Out Of Grammys
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Eagles' Glenn Frey and Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire received touching tributes from longtime friends at the Grammy Awards, while Rihanna pulled out of the awards show.
Stevie Wonder, joined with Grammy-winning a capella group Pentatonix, sang "That's the Way of the World" in honor of White, while members of the Eagles and Jackson Browne sang "Take It Easy" for Frey at the Staples Center.
White died on Feb. 4 and Frey died on Jan. 18. Natalie Cole will also be remembered during the telecast, while Lady Gaga is set to pay tribute to David Bowie.
Rihanna's representative said in a statement that the singer couldn't perform at the show due to doctor's orders.
"After Grammy rehearsal today, Rihanna's doctor put her on vocal rest for 48 hours because she was at risk of hemorrhaging her vocal chords. The antibiotics she has been on for three days did not kill the infection adequately therefore she cannot perform safely," the statement read.
Ed Sheeran walked away with one of the night's top honors, song of the year for "Thinking Out Loud."
"We wrote it on a couch in my house," he said of his hit song, which also won him best pop solo performance.
It was the first time Sheeran won a Grammy; and the night marked first wins for Justin Bieber, the Weeknd, Chris Stapleton, Pitbull and Alabama Shakes.
The Weeknd, who won two awards in the pre-telecast, performed in a cube that was brightly lit for "Can't Feel My Face" until he switched to piano-tinged version of his upbeat hit "In the Night."
Stapleton, who has written for dozens of country acts, won best country album for "Traveller."
"This is something you never ever dream of so I'm super grateful for it," he said.
Stapleton walked in with four nominations, including album of the year, but lost best country song to "Girl Crush." Little Big Town earned a standing ovation when they performed the hit song.
Collaborative performances was the theme of the Grammys: Carrie Underwood sang with Sam Hunt; Ellie Goulding and Andra Day performed; and while Demi Lovato — who shined brightly — John Legend, Luke Bryan and Tyrese sang with Lionel Richie to honor the icon.
Other performers include the Hollywood Vampires, the supergroup made up of Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. Plus, the cast of hit Broadway musical "Hamilton" will hit the stage and Pitbull will close out the awards show.
Other double winners in the pre-telecast include D'Angelo, Skrillex, Diplo, Kirk Franklin and Jason Isbell.
LL Cool J is hosting the 58th annual Grammy Awards, airing live on CBS.
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