LOS ANGELES _ Grammy Awards host Alicia Keys kicked off Sunday's ceremony on a somber note against the backdrop of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's death earlier in the day.
"We're all feeling crazy sadness right now," Keys said after taking the stage slowly and deliberately after Lizzo's triumphant opening medley. "We never imagined in a million years we'd have to start a show like this."
Bryant died early Sunday in a Calabasas helicopter crash that also killed his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others. With Staples Center closed to the public for the Grammys, Angelenos gathered outside to build a memorial for the Lakers superstar on his home turf.
"I know that it's the most healing thing in the world," Keys said of the power of music. "So let us get some healing going on right now."
Keys' remarks also came at a time of turmoil for the Recording Academy, which has been engulfed in controversy in the week leading up to Sunday's event after dismissing its first-ever female president and CEO, Deborah Dugan, just 10 days before the event.
