Recording Academy Presents Lifetime Achievement Awards to Chaka Khan, Cher and Paul Simon
Chaka Khan accepted her Lifetime Achievement Award at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre while family members accepted honors for Fela Kuti and Whitney Houston.
Overview
Chaka Khan accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award in person at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, saying "Music has been my prayer, my healing, my joy, my truth," as the Grammys Special Merit Awards ceremony opened, the Recording Academy said.
The awards, given on the eve of the main Grammys ceremony, honored six Lifetime Achievement recipients — Chaka Khan, Cher, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, Fela Kuti and Whitney Houston — according to the Recording Academy.
Femi Kuti and two siblings accepted the award for Fela Anikulapo Kuti, with Femi Kuti saying, "Thank you for bringing our father here," and Pat Houston accepted for Whitney Houston, praising, "Her voice — that voice! — remains eternal."
The Special Merit Awards also named Bernie Taupin and the late Eddie Palmieri as Trustees Award honorees and presented a Technical Grammy to John Chowning, the Recording Academy confirmed.
The main Grammy Awards broadcast was scheduled for the following day, and the academy said the Special Merit honorees will be celebrated separately from competitive categories during Sunday’s ceremonies.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Fela Kuti's posthumous Grammy as a corrective, celebratory recognition, emphasizing his activism, global influence and cultural leadership. Editorial choices—laudatory language ("king", "undisputed architect"), selection of praising voices (family, manager, designer) and omission of critical perspectives—create a narrative of vindication and enduring legacy.