Grammy Awards: Stevie Wonder honours Tony Bennett in In Memoriam
Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Jon Batiste, and Fantasia Barrino performed during the Grammy Awards' In Memoriam tribute.
Stevie Wonder sang an emotional duet with the late Tony Bennett at the Grammy Awards on Sunday (04.02.24).
The 73-year-old singer kicked off the ceremony's In Memoriam segment by paying tribute to his friend - who died in July 2023 at the age of 96 - before playing piano and singing 'For Once in My Life' along with a clip of the late entertainer, which played on the screen behind him.
Stevie said: "I remember hearing Tony Bennett singing 'For Once in My Life' when I was like 13 or 14 years old.
"But what's amazing is I was able to actually sing the song with someone that I admired for so long, not just because of his voice, which was incredible, but because of his art, his love for art, his love for peace, his love for unity, his love for civil rights."
After Stevie then performed another of Tony's songs, 'The Best Is Yet to Come', Annie Lennox took to the stage to honour Sinead O'Connor - who died last July aged 56 - with a cover of her song 'Nothing Compares 2 U' before making a call for peace.
She said: "Artists for ceasefire — peace in the world.”
Lenny Kravitz then gave a heartfelt tribute to his "trusted mentor and believer", music executive Clarence Avant before Jon Batiste and Ann Nesby performed a medley of 'Ain't No Sunshine', 'Lean On Me' and 'Optimistic'.
The segment ended with Oprah Winfrey paying tribute to "our forever Goddess of Rock 'n' Roll", Tina Turner, before Fantasia Barrino sang the star's 'Proud Mary', backed by a string of dancers in the tiered fringe dresses the 'Steamy Windows' hitmaker - who died aged 83 last May - was famed for.
Oprah said of Tina: "She was a special kind of role model.
“Tina’s voice continues to speak to all of us."
Other musicians who have passed away over the last year had their images projected onto screens throughout the performances, including Harry Belafonte and Jimmy Buffett.
