Where do broken hearts go? They sing and dance at the Grammys.
Calling music a “universally healing” power, Grammy Awards host LL Cool J kicked off the industry’s biggest night with a prayer for Whitney Houston, the pop diva whose death on the eve of the show shocked the music industry.
“There’s no way around this, we’ve had a death in our family,” LL told the crowd as soon as he stepped onstage. “The only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston.”
Then he introduced a 1994 Grammy clip of Houston performing her signature song, “I Will Always Love You.”
Houston won six Grammys in a career that produced a string of No. 1 hits, including “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “The Greatest Love of All” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?”
“This night is about something that is universally healing,” LL said. “This night is about music.”
The show went on as scheduled and was surprisingly upbeat under the circumstances, with lively performances by Chris Brown, Katy Perry and Glen Campbell
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After the host’s prayer, more than two hours passed before a shaky Jennifer Hudson — dressed in black and breathing heavily — saluted one of the biggest stars the industry has ever known.
Hudson sang a slow and haunting version of “I Will Always Love You,” inserting Whitney’s name at the end.
Earlier in the day, Hudson broke down while rehearsing and had to restart the number several times before she could finish it.
Singer Chaka Khan was scheduled to take part in the Whitney tribute, but her reps said she was too inconsolable to perform.
As a 15-year-old, Houston sang backing vocals on Khan’s hit “I’m Every Woman.”