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Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna,
and seven other people died on Sunday morning when the
helicopter they were riding in went down in heavy fog and hilly
terrain in suburban Calabasas, northwest of downtown Los
Angeles.
"Tonight is for Kobe," pop star Lizzo announced as she took the
stage to open the Grammy Awards before performing exuberant
versions of her hits "Cuz I Love You" and "Truth Hurts" to a
standing ovation.
"We are all feeling crazy sadness right now, because earlier
today Los Angeles, America and the whole wide world lost a hero
and we're literally standing here, heartbroken, in the house
that Kobe Bryant built," the show's host, Alicia Keys, said in
remarks to open the show.
Keys then brought members of the Boyz II Men on stage to join
them in an a capella version of their ballad "It's So Hard to
Say Goodbye," dedicated to Bryant.
The show was being broadcast from the Staples Center, home court
for the Los Angeles Lakers, where Bryant starred for two decades
as one of the NBA's all-time greatest players.
"It’s a real tough day and we want to send our love to the
families, the kids, the mothers,” performer DJ Khaled said
backstage. "It’s hard to catch a vibe right now at this moment
but we’re going to do it."
Teen pop star Billie Eilish, a Los Angeles native nominated for
six Grammy awards on the night, posted a photo of Bryant on her
Instagram account, along with a video clip of the basketball
star Bryant talking with Gianna.
Eilish, 18, captioned the video simply: “Uggghhhhhhhhh”
Grammy nominee Camila Cabello also posted a photo of Bryant on
Instagram and wrote that, despite not being a basketball fan,
his documentary “MUSE” got her through a painful time in her
life.
“I watched every interview, I read every quote of his, and I
wish that he knew how many times he saved me, how many times he
helped me access a champion in myself that I couldn’t have seen
on my own,” the singer wrote.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Additional reporting
by Gabriella Borter in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
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