The 2026 Grammy telecast is more than four months away, but the In Memoriam spot is already filling up. In fact, at least four music legends have died this year who could easily justify a separate spot on the show: Brian Wilson, Ozzy Osbourne, Sly Stone and Roberta Flack. (All four received lifetime achievement awards from the Recording Academy – Wilson as part of The Beach Boys; Osbourne as part of Black Sabbath.)
In recent years, the Grammys have put an extra spotlight on one or more recently deceased artists per year, sometimes as part of the In Memoriam spot and sometimes apart from it. Last year, Quincy Jones got a six-song tribute. In 2024, the In Memoriam segment included extended tributes to Tony Bennett, Sinéad O’Connor, Clarence Avant and Tina Turner.
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In 2023, Loretta Lynn, Takeoff from Migos and Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac got extra shine in the In Memoriam spot, as did Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim the year before. In 2021, Little Richard, Kenny Rogers, John Prine and Gerry Marsden of Gerry & the Pacemakers got extra attention in the In Memoriam spot. (The latter group had a hit in 1965 with Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” which was a natural for the spot.)
In 2020, Boyz II Men sang “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” in tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who had died in a helicopter crash the morning of the Grammy ceremony. The In Memoriam spot that year put extra focus on Nipsey Hussle and Dr. John.
In addition to the four music legends named at the top of this article, the list of music greats who have died since the Grammy telecast on Feb. 2, 2024 includes songwriter Alan Bergman, who received a trustees award from the Recording Academy (the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award for behind-the-scenes talent) in 2013, along with his late wife, Marilyn Bergman.
Eddie Palmieri and Lalo Schifrin were both honored by the Latin Recording Academy. Palmieri received a lifetime achievement award in 2013; Schifrin was voted a trustees award in 2017.
Other noteworthy artists and behind-the-scenes talent who have died since the last Grammy telecast include Brett James, Bobby Hart, Jeannie Seely, Flaco Jimenez, Tom Lehrer, Cleo Laine, Chuck Mangione, Connie Francis, Bobby Sherman, Lou Christie, Rick Derringer, Charles Strouse, Johnny Rodriguez, Johnny Tillotson, Angie Stone, Alf Clausen and Robert John.
The roster also includes numerous people best known for their work as part of groups, including Rick Davies of Supertramp, Mark Volman of The Turtles, Clem Burke of Blondie, Jesse Colin Young of The Youngbloods, David Johansen of New York Dolls, Chris Jasper of The Isley Brothers, Brent Hinds of Mastodon, Bobby Whitlock of Derek and the Dominos, Walter Scott Jr. of The Whispers, Mick Ralphs of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, Wayne Lewis of Atlantic Starr, Michael Sumler of Kool & the Gang, D’Wayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Tone!, and Les Binks of Judas Priest.
That is by no means a list of everyone of note who has died this year. For a fuller list, go here.
Award show producers are perennially criticized for leaving people out of the In Memoriam roll, but as you can see, there are always many names to contend with and only so much time in the spot. Not everybody can make it unless the segment runs for 25 minutes – in which people would complain the show was too long.
Who do you think will get extra love on the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 1? Osbourne, Wilson and Sly Stone seem like sure things, but we hope Flack isn’t overlooked just because she died so long ago (on Feb. 24, just three weeks after last year’s show). Flack made Grammy history in 1974, becoming the first artist to win back-to-back awards for record of the year.
Andra Day sang Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” on the BET Awards on June 9. (On that same show, Brittney Spencer performed in tribute to Angie Stone.) Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Yungblud and Nuno Bennencourt performed a three-song tribute to Osbourne on the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 7.
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