2020 Grammys In Memoriam Honors Late Stars — and Draws Criticism for Misspelling Ric Ocasek's Name

Beloved musicians who died over the past year were honored during the 2020Grammy Awards— but an unfortunate spelling snafu stole attention from the tribute.

On Sunday, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue united for a touching tribute to artists such asRic Ocasek, Peter Tork andNipsey Hussle, who won two posthumous Grammys and was nominated for a third earlier in the night.

Photos of late stars includeDoris Day,Diahann Carroll,Eddie Moneyand Rush drummerNeil Peartgraced the screen alongside their names as a medley of various songs played.

Once all the photos were presented, Shorty and the band took the stage for an energetic performance.

Still, much of the attention from viewers was focused on an unfortunate spelling error, as Ocasek’s first name was misspelled as “Rick” during the segment.

“HOW Y’ALL GONNA MISSPELL RIC OCASEK’S NAME??! #GRAMMYs ?,” one user wrote onTwitter.

Anotherwrotethat the typo showed “such a lack of respect,” while others still called on the Grammys to hire a copy editor.

“Dear #Grammy: His name is RIC Ocasek, not RICK. How about hiring a copy editor?!@RecordingAcad,” one userwrote.

CBS

During the awards show,John Legend,DJ Khaled,Meek Mill, Kirk Franklin, Roddy Ricch, and YG delivered anall-star performance to pay tributeto the late rapper, who died on March 31 after he was tragicallygunned downon the Los Angeles street where his clothing store, the Marathon Clothing Company, is located. The star, who was born Ermias Asghedom, was 33.

Hussle’s hit song “Racks in the Middle” featuring Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy earned him nominations for best rap performance and best rap song. DJ Khaled’s single “Higher” featuring Hussle and Legend garnered a nod for best rap/sung performance.

Be sure to check out PEOPLE’sfull Grammy Awards coverageto get the latest news on music’s biggest night.

Michele Eve Sandberg/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; Randy Shropshire/Getty; Ida Mae Astute/Walt Disney Television via Getty

“An activist, entrepreneur and rapper, Nipsey Hussle had a lasting impact on not just his community, but also the culture at large,” Ken Ehrlich,Grammy Awardsexecutive producer said of the late rap icon. “There is no denying the influence he had and his legacy will be felt for generations to come. We are honored to bring together this amazing group of artists to celebrate Nipsey’s life and pay tribute to his many contributions to music.”

Meanwhile, The Cars frontman Ocasekdied on Sept. 15of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, also known as atherosclerosis, which is a plaque build-up in the arteries and can cause hardening and/or narrowing in the heart muscle.

Ocasek’s former wife, fashion model Paulina Porizkova, revealed she had found him unconscious and unresponsive in the Manhattan townhouse they had shared as a couple.

In February 2019, Tork, the blues and folk musician who shot to stardom in 1966 as a member ofthe Monkees, died at the age of 77.Ten years prior, in 2009, he was diagnosedwith a rare form of cancer, adenoid cystic carcinoma, which affected his tongue.

Bandmate Micky Dolenz mourned the loss of his close friend, writing, “There are no words right now…heart broken over the loss of my Monkee brother, Peter Tork.”

Sunday’s In Memoriam presentation also paid tribute to music producer-songwriterBusbee, who died in September at age 43 of brain cancer.

The 62ndGrammy Awardsare airing live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

source: people.com