Watch: Reba McEntire, Lauryn Hill, Post Malone pay tribute at 2026 Grammys
Lauryn Hill, Post Malone, Slash and Reba McEntire were among the stars who took the stage at the 2026 Grammys to pay tribute to the musical icons the world lost last year, including D’Angelo, Ozzy Osbourne, Roberta Flack and more.
Hitting the Crypto.com Arena stage in Los Angeles on Sunday night, McEntire performed at the awards show for the first time ever, honoring her late stepson, talent manager Brandon Blackstock, as well as other music icons and members of the music community during the in memoriam segment. Alongside Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson, McEntire belted an emotional rendition of “Trailblazer.”
ASCAP member Reba McEntire took to the GRAMMYs stage for the first time ever to lead this year’s In Memorium Tribute. Accompanied onstage with Brandy Clark, McEntire dedicated her song “Trailblazer” to her late stepson Brandon Blackenstock, who tragically passed away last August. pic.twitter.com/a7Z9YfSzRA
— ASCAP (@ASCAP) February 2, 2026
“There’s so many of my friends that have passed this year,” McEntire told the Recording Academy ahead of the show. “My oldest son also passed, and he will be honored tonight in the In Memoriam. So it was very, very important for me to get to do this, and I’m very grateful and thankful.”
Post Malone, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Duff McKagan, and Slash joined forces to honor Black Sabbath frontman Osbourne. Malone sang the anti-war protest song “War Pigs” while nursing a red Solo cup as pyrotechnics lit up the stage behind him. The camera cut to Osbourne’s wife Sharon and their children, Kelly and Jack, who were visibly emotional during the tribute.
Post Malone, Slash, Chad Smith and more. cover Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s "War Pigs" at the #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/QYzy1ghEbi
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) February 2, 2026
“You know, it’s just such a beautiful thing that his peers are showing their love and respect for his work tonight, and it’s going to be an emotional experience for us,” Kelly told People ahead of the awards ceremony. “I won’t be one of those people that say ‘I’m fine’ because I’m not. That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life.”
Ozzy Osbourne: An appreciation of the metal icon’s lighter side
The In Memoriam segment concluded with a star-studded tribute to the late R&B icons D’Angelo and Roberta Flack. Hill performed part of her 1998 hit “Nothing Even Matters,” which she originally duetted with D’Angelo. “D and I never got to do this on stage together,” she said. “Make time for the people you love while you can.” The two were longtime collaborators and close friends.
The entire tribute, the night’s lengthiest, welcomed one megastar after another to join in a medley of songs by D’Angelo and Flack. Lucky Daye, Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton, Leon Thomas, Transition with Vanguard BGVS, Bilal, Jon Batiste, and more made their way onstage to join in the mashup.
Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean perform “Killing Me Softly” in tribute to Roberta Flack at the 2026 #GRAMMY awards pic.twitter.com/jXJIgAzzkU
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) February 2, 2026