Alicia Keys drew on the legacy of Kobe Bryant to stay strong as she was tasked with hosting the 2020 Grammy Awards just hours after news broke Sunday that the NBA legend and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people killed in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles earlier that morning. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight after the award ceremony, Keys admitted it wasn’t easy to get on stage for anyone in the face of such loss.
“This was a really hard night, and that’s why I think it was a roller coaster,” Keys told the outlet. “It was painful, it’s painful right now. We lost a beloved, beloved hero to all of us. A person who is like a true example of brilliance and excellence.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
“It’s not easy to go forward with all of that weight,” she continued. “But I think that the energy that he always brought and that fighting spirit… is what brought us through tonight.”
Keys opened Sunday’s show with a musical tribute to the former Los Angeles Lakers player alongside Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men who joined her for an emotional rendition of their 1991 hit “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye.” It was a moving performance, and one that sparked tears from the live audience as well as those at home, which Keys attributed to Bryant’s presence in everyone’s heart.
“I feel like he was just in all of our hearts and spirits and that’s what made it feel good,” Keys said of the tribute.
Keys’ husband, DJ and producer Swizz Beatz, couldn’t help but gush to the outlet as well over his wife’s ability to handle such a difficult hosting task.
“This was a heavy night and she put the load on her shoulders and made people feel comfortable all around the world,” he said. “It’s a blessing.”
Photo credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
