Advertisement

Grammy Awards To Open Show With Kobe Bryant Tribute

Click here to read the full article.

Just hours after Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Southern California, the Grammy Awards have quickly put together a tribute honoring the late NBA legend.

Sources exclusively tell Deadline the tribute will take place within minutes of the show’s open at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT, with Grammys host Alicia Keys involved. The show will air live on CBS.

More from Deadline

Organizers felt this was the right thing to do on Music’s Biggest Night, considering Bryant was beloved in Los Angeles, and played for years with the Lakers at the Staples Center, where the Grammys are held.

As musicians and performers arrived at Staples throughout the day, they passed hundreds of basketball fans who surrounded the venue to pay their respects to the five-time NBA champion.

Grief-stricken fans wore Bryant’s jersey, carried flowers and bowed their heads in respect. His picture loomed over the crowd on the Jumbotron screen outside Staples.

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others lost their lives in the crash that occurred just before 10 a.m. on a hillside above Calabasas

During an afternoon news conference, Los Angeles County officials said they believed a total of nine people were on board the aircraft when it crashed and sparked a brush fire. There were no survivors.

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.