Lauryn Hill paid tribute to D’Angelo and Roberta Flack during the 2026 Grammys’ special “In Memoriam” segment on Sunday.
During the segment, which also saw Post Malone and others linking up for an Ozzy Osbourne tribute, the eight-time Grammy winner kicked off her show-stopping medley by performing “Nothing Even Matters,” a D’Angelo-featuring classic off previous Album of the Year winner The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Deeper into the performance, Grammys viewers were also given “Brown Sugar” in D’Angelo’s honor, with a number of special guests—Lucky Daye, Chaka Khan, and Wyclef Jean among them—as the tribute set shifted focus to key Flack tracks including “Compared to What” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” Naturally, the Fugees version of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” also had its moment, swiftly bringing the audience to its feet.
D’Angelo, 51, died in October of last year following “a prolonged and courageous battle with cancer,” per a family statement. Numerous artists were quick to speak out in remembrance of the hugely influential neo-soul pioneer, including Hill.
“I regret not having more time with you,” she wrote in an Instagram-shared statement at the time. “Your undeniable beauty and talent were not of this world, and a presence not of this world needs protection in a world that covets light and the anointing of God. You sir, moved us, stirred us, inspired and even intimidated others to action with your genius.”
Roberta Flack—known for “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” a track also strongly associated with Hill thanks to a 1996 Fugees rendition (performed at Sunday’s Grammys), among numerous other gems—died in February of last year. She was 88.
“She died peacefully surrounded by her family,” a spokesperson said when announcing the singer’s death, noting that she was not only a boundaries-breaking artist, but also a “proud educator.”