(CNN) – Grammy presenter Alicia Keys, with the help of the Boys II Men group, began Sunday’s ceremony at the Staples Center with a musical tribute to Kobe Bryant.
“We all feel a crazy sadness right now,” Keys said. “Early today, Los Angeles, the United States and the entire world lost a hero. We are literally standing here with a broken heart in the house that Kobe Bryant built. ”
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Maria Onore Bryant, and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Singer and songwriter Alicia Keys and the Boyz II Men group sing in memory of NBA legend Kobe Bryant during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards on January 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK / AFP via Getty Images)
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After saying a few words, Keys began singing a line from the Boys II Men song “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.” Moments later, the band joined her.
The lyrics of the song say: “It’s hard to say goodbye to yesterday / And I’ll take my memories / So they are my sun after the rain.”
The song, Keys said, was performed because “we wanted to do something that could describe a bit how we all feel right now.”
“We love you Kobe,” he added.
Before Keys’ welcome, singer Lizzo began her performance by saying, “Tonight is for Kobe.”
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