Whitney Houston waves to the crowd at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards in 1994 after she won Record of the Year for ‘I’ll Always Love You,’ and Album of the Year for ‘The Bodyguard’ soundtrack. (POOL/AFP/Getty Images)
With less than 24 hours before the GRAMMYs were set to go live, Whitney Houston passed away. In a new one-hour special, fans get a behind-the-scenes look at how last year’s show was able to pull together not only the awards ceremony, but a last-minute tearful tribute to the fallen diva.
The GRAMMYs Will Go On: A Death In The Family, airing February 9 on CBS, documents the hours right before the show and features interviews with artists like LL Cool J, Katy Perry, Dave Grohl, Bruno Mars, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson, who sang “I Will Always Love You” to a teary-eyed crowd.
The special also includes never-before-seen rehearsal footage like Adele preparing for her first performance since undergoing vocal surgery and Paul McCartney practicing with his all-star band for the show’s finale.
This new special started out as a 28-minute documentary called A Death in the Family: The Show Must Go On, which was housed at the GRAMMY museum as part of the exhibit, Whitney! Celebrating The Musical Legacy of Whitney Houston, which included stage costumes, photos and scrapbooks that were owned by the late singer.
Last year, the Recording Academy also aired a tribute special, We Will Always Love You: A GRAMMY Salute to Whitney Houston, featuring performances from Hudson, Usher and Celine Dion.
Watch the 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards the following night, February 10, at 8 pm EST on CBS.
