Host LL Cool J paid the tribute to the late singer with a prayer: "There is no way around this. We`ve had a death in our family and so at least for me, for me, the only thing that feels right, is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved, for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston."
"Heavenly Father, we thank you for sharing our sister Whitney with us. Today our thoughts are with her mother, her daughter and all of her loved ones. And although she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit, and to have her lasting legacy of music to cherish and share forever. Amen," he said.
The ceremony, whose program was changed to pay tribute to Houston after the singer`s sudden death, featured a clip of one of the top vocalists singing her classic hit "I Will Always Love You" at the Grammys back in 1994. A star-studded audience responded with a standing ovation.
Houston, 48, was found dead at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel. Authorities believed Houston may have fallen asleep or lapsed into unconsciousness while taking a bath and drowned.
An autopsy was conducted Sunday which revealed she did have water in her lungs when she died, but the medical examiner needs to determine exactly how much before they can rule whether she died as a result of drowning, celebrity website TMZ.com reported.
(U.I027/M016)
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