Sunday’s Grammy Awards hit near-record ratings levels in the wake of Whitney Houston’s death.
The music awards show snared nearly 40 million viewers, second only to the Grammys in 1984.
That year, when Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album electrified the nation, some 52 million viewers watched.
This year’s show was up nearly 50 percent over last year, which averaged 27 million viewers.
The big numbers were no doubt sparked by the death of Houston, 48, who was found dead in her Beverly Hills hotel room Saturday afternoon. She was in LA to attend the Grammys.
Sunday’s show was hastily rearranged to pay tribute to Houston.