Los Angeles: The Eagles’ Glenn Frey and Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire received touching tributes from longtime friends at the Grammy Awards, while Rihanna pulled out of the awards show. Stevie Wonder, joined with Grammy-winning a capella group Pentatonix, sang That’s the Way of the World in honor of White, while members of the Eagles and Jackson Browne sang Take It Easy for Frey at the Staples Center. [caption id=“attachment_2628060” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
Ed Sheeran accepts the award for best pop solo performance for Thinking Out Loud at the 58th annual Grammy Awards. AP[/caption] Rihanna’s representative said in a statement that the singer couldn’t perform at the show due to doctor’s orders. Ed Sheeran walked away with one of the night’s top honors, song of the year for Thinking Out Loud. “We wrote it on a couch in my house,” he said of his hit song, which also won him best pop solo performance. It was the first time Sheeran won a Grammy; and the night marked first wins for Justin Bieber, the Weeknd, Chris Stapleton, Pitbull and Alabama Shakes. The Weeknd, who won two awards in the pre-telecast, performed in a cube that was brightly lit for Can’t Feel My Face until he switched to piano-tinged version of his upbeat hit In the Night. Collaborative performances was the theme of the Grammys: Carrie Underwood sang with Sam Hunt; Ellie Goulding and Andra Day performed; and while Demi Lovato — who shined brightly — John Legend, Luke Bryan and Tyrese sang with Lionel Richie to honor the icon. Taylor Swift kicked off the Grammys with performance of her latest hit single, Out of the Woods, while Kendrick Lamar collected his fifth trophy for the night. Lamar won best rap album for his sophomore effort, To Pimp a Butterfly. It was the first award televised Monday. “Hip-hop, Ice Cube, this for hip-hop, this for Snoop Dogg …this for Nas. We will live forever, believe that,” said Lamar, who also won best rap song, rap performance, rap/sung collaboration and music video earlier in the day. Swift and Weeknd earned seven nominations overall, but it’s Adele who has the chance to own the night, though she isn’t competing for an award. The British singer, who has outsold her contemporaries by millions, is set to perform. Adele released her third album, 25 — which has sold 8 million units in the United States — after Grammy eligibility. It will qualify for awards at the 2017 ceremony. Here’s a list of the winners of the Grammys 2016: Album of the Year 1989, Taylor Swift Song of the Year “Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge Record of the Year “Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars Best Rap Album To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar Best Country Album Traveler, Chris Stapleton Best Musical Theater Album Hamilton Best Rap Performance “Alright,” Kendrick Lamar Best Rap Song “Alright,” Kendrick Lamar Best Rap/Sung Collaboration “These Walls,” Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise, and Thundercat Best Rock Performance “Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes Best Music Video “Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar Best New Artist Meghan Trainor Producer of the Year, Non-Classical Jeff Bhasker Best Country Song “Girl Crush,” Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, and Liz Rose (Little Big Town) Best Country Solo Performance “Traveller,” Chris Stapleton Best Country Duo/Group Performance “Girl Crush,” Little Big Town Best Pop Vocal Album Taylor Swift, 1989 Best Pop Solo Performance “Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran Best Rock Album Drones, Muse Best Alternative Album Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes Best Rock Performance “Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes Best Rock Song “Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes Best Pop Duo/Group Performance “Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars Best Metal Performance “Cirice,” Ghost Best Dance/Electronic Album Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü, Skrillex and Diplo Best Urban Contemporary Album Beauty Behind the Madness, the Weeknd Best R&B Song “Really Love,” D’Angelo and Kendra Foster Best R&B Performance “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” the Weeknd Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media Birdman, Antonio Sanchez Best Song Written for Visual Media “Glory,” performed by Common and John Legend Best Music Film Amy, Amy Winehouse; Asif Kapadia, video director; James Gay-Rees, video producer (more updates to follow) AP