Tonight, at the 2022 Grammys, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt, and Rachel Zegler sang some of the late Stephen Sondheim’s most lauded works, including music from West Side Story, during the in memoriam segment. The performance opened with a tribute to late Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins, who had been scheduled to perform but died a week before the ceremony.
The piece also honored DMX, Meat Loaf, Ronnie Spector, Mark Lanegan, Shock G, Virgil Abloh, Biz Markie, Rusty Young, Connie Bradley, Stonewall Jackson, Roger Hawkins, Betty Davis, Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker, ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill, Greg Tate, Elliot Mazer, Bobbie Nelson, Sarah Dash, Young Dolph, Nanci Griffith, the Chieftans’ Paddy Maloney, Jim Steinman, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Wanda Young, Charlie Watts, Robbie Shakespeare, Don Everly, the Gap Band’s Ronnie Wilson, the Monkees’ Michael Nesmith, James Mtume, Tom T. Hall, Woodstock founder Michael Lang, and more.
Drakeo the Ruler, Syl Johnson, Elza Soares, and Joey Jordsion were not mentioned in the in memoriam segment. Several people expressed anger on social media regarding the label under Virgil Abloh’s photo, which read “Hip-Hop Designer.” Abloh was the creative director for the menswear branch of French luxury brand Louis Vuitton. He was also a DJ who released numerous singles.
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