It was the tribute of all tributes for R&B fanatics.
During the in memoriam segment at the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 1, Hill led the tribute to D'Angelo and Roberta Flack.
D'Angelo, whose sound epitomized the neo-soul movement of the '90s, died after a silent battle with cancer at the age of 51 in October, sending shockwaves throughout the music industry.
Flack, who died at 88 years old, wasknown for hitslike "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (1972) and "Killing Me Softly with His Song" (1973).
Hill kicked off her emotional set with her duet with D'Angelo. "Nothing Even Matters," a song from her critically acclaimed album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." She was accompanied by the late R&B icon's band, The Vanguard.
"D and I never got to do this on stage together," she said. "Make time for people that you love while you can."
Sure, there are awards handed out at the Grammys. But what we really want are the performances! Here are the best performers of 2026, starting with Lady Gaga." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Rosé and Bruno Mars perform "APT." " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sabrina Carpenter performs "Manchild"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Olivia Dean performs "Man I Need"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Bruno Mars performs "I Just Might"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Justin Bieber performs "Yukon"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Alex Warren performs "Ordinary"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sombr performs "12 to 12"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Leon Thomas performs "Mutt"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
KATSEYE performs "Gnarly"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The Marías perform "No One Noticed"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Lola Young performs "Messy"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> See all the Grammys 2026 performances
Sure, there are awards handed out at the Grammys. But what we really want are the performances! Here are the best performers of 2026, starting with Lady Gaga.
Grammys:026Every performer ranked, from Lady Gaga to Sabrina Carpenter
Which other artists performed during the tribute?
R&B powerhouse Lucky Daye joined Hill on stage, singing D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar." Then, Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton, and Leon Thomas teamed up for his hits "Lady" and "Devil's Pie." Bilal flexed his vocal prowess with "Untitled (How Does It Feel)."
Hill also acknowledged the death of D'Angelo's former partner, Grammy-nominated singer Angie Stone,who died following a collision last March.A highlight from the Flack section was Hill reuniting with Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean and rocking the crowd with their '96 remake of "Killing Me Softly with His Song."
Other special guests throughout the tribute included Jon Baptiste, October London, Chaka Khan, John Legend, Leon Bridges, Lalah Hathaway, and many more.
Thein memoriam segmentstarted withReba McEntire honoring talent manager and stepsonBrandon Blackstock, who died in August, and was followed by an ensemble performance of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" by Post Malone, Slash, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, and others, to honor Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July.
Social media reacts to Hill's set
Following the award show, fans took to social media to praise the performance.
"Baby now that Lauryn Hill set was worth staying up past my bed time #GRAMMYs," one userwrote.
Another person added: "the D'Angelo & Roberta Flack tribute performance put on by Lauryn Hill and other legends was genuinely one of the most beautiful things i've seen man. im speechless man."
"That Lauryn Hill performance is one of the greatest television moments of the century. I was standing and screaming. Incredible," anX user stated.
Contributing: Edward Segarra, Melissa Ruggieri, Taijuan Moorman USA TODAY
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Lauryn Hill performs moving D'Angelo, Roberta Flack tribute at Grammys
