Lauryn Hill took to the stage at the 2026 Grammy Awards for a moving tribute performance to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack.
The ceremony took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles last night (Sunday February 1), and the Fugees singer performed as part of the “In Memoriam’ segment – paying tribute to the artists and industry leaders who passed away over the past year.
She began by looking back at her time working with late neo-soul icon D’Angelo on the collaborative track ‘Nothing Even Matters’. The song was recorded as part of her 1998 solo album ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’, and speaking to the crowd at the awards, she said that the two never had the chance to play the song together.
“We never had a chance to do this on stage together. Make time for people you love while you can,” she said, before introducing his band, The Vanguard, and launching into the performance.
Lauryn Hill’s full all star tribute to D’Angelo & Roberta Flack. Happy Black History Month!! #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/rzVT0BnSSO
— 🗝️ (@DiaryOfKeysus) February 2, 2026
I loveeee how hyped up the entire audience got when Lauryn Hill started singing Killing Me Softly at the Grammys. so perfect pic.twitter.com/nytDnqlj1j
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) February 2, 2026
D’Angelo died in October, after a “prolonged and courageous battle” with pancreatic cancer. He was aged 51.
As Hill continued her performance at the ceremony, she was joined by a number of R&B stars including Jon Batiste, John Legend, Bilal, Lucky Daye and Leon Thomas, and they began to pay tribute to another late music icon, Roberta Flack.
The R&B and jazz star passed away, aged 88, in February last year. Best recognised for hit songs like ‘The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face’, ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’ and ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’, her death came after a three-year battle with ALS.
Remembering the life and legacy of the late singer, Hill performed a cover of ‘Killing Me Softly’ alongside Wyclef Jean, and later transitioned into the Fugees version of the track.
Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean perform “Killing Me Softly” in tribute to Roberta Flack at the 2026 #GRAMMY awards pic.twitter.com/jXJIgAzzkU
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) February 2, 2026
Lauryn Hill’s Full Grammys tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack featuring John Legend, Chaka Khan, Leon Bridges, Raphael Saadiq, Lucky Daye and more.#LaurynHill #DAngelo #RobertaFlack #GRAMMYs #RealOnesKnow pic.twitter.com/xNTsWTix3D
— Real Ones Know (@RealOnesKnow_) February 2, 2026
There was also a touching tribute to late heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne on the night, with Post Malone, Guns N’ Roses members Slash and Duff McKagan, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith all coming together to cover Black Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs’.
They were also joined on stage by renowned producer Andrew Watt, who worked on Ozzy’s last two solo albums, 2020’s ‘Ordinary Man’ and 2022’s ‘Patient Number 9’.
The Prince Of Darkness passed away last summer after raising millions for charity with his ‘Back To The Beginning’ final show. In the audience at the Grammys, Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s widow and manager, was seen watching alongside children Kelly and Jack, and looking visibly emotional at the tribute.
Other performances at the 2026 ceremony came from ROSÉ, who made history at the event after performing ‘APT.’ with Bruno Mars, and from Justin Bieber, who got fans talking after performing a stripped-back set in just his boxer shorts.
Sabrina Carpenter also delivered an airline-theme performance, Tyler, The Creator set the stage ablaze with his set, Lady Gaga teamed up with Andrew Watt and Josh Freese for her time on stage, and Spiritbox broke out a fiery rendition of ‘Soft Spine’.
It was Kendrick Lamar who took home the most trophy wins on the night, and other memorable moments included Bad Bunny delivering an impassioned “ICE out” acceptance speech after winning in the Best Musica Urbana Album category.
Billie Eilish also hit out at ICE after winning Song Of The Year for ‘Wildflower’, and when Olivia Dean won in the Best New Artist category, she used her time on stage to celebrate immigrants.
Check out a full list of winners from the 2026 Grammys here.
