Grammy Lifetime Awards Celebrate Fela Kuti and Global Music Icons

Fela Kuti and music legends were honoured at the Grammy Lifetime Awards, celebrating enduring legacies across generations and genres

Music legends spanning genres and generations were celebrated on Saturday night as the Recording Academy presented its Grammy Lifetime Awards at the Special Merit Awards ceremony held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

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Honourees included Chaka Khan, Cher, Carlos Santana, Paul Simon, the late Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and late global pop icon Whitney Houston.

Chaka Khan, the only recipient in attendance, delivered an emotional reflection on her career, describing music as a source of survival and healing.

“Music has been my prayer, my healing, my joy, my truth. Through it, I saved my life,” she said.

A documentary chronicled her more than five-decade career, highlighting her work with funk band Rufus and solo hits including Tell Me Something Good, I’m Every Woman, Ain’t Nobody and I Feel For You.

Family members accepted posthumous awards on behalf of Fela Kuti and Whitney Houston.

Fela Kuti, who died in 1997, was celebrated as the first African musician to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, described as a “producer, arranger, political radical, outlaw and the father of Afrobeat.”

His son, Femi Kuti, thanked the Recording Academy for recognising his father’s legacy, noting its significance for Africa and global culture.

Whitney Houston, who died in 2012, was honoured for her enduring vocal legacy.

Her sister-in-law and longtime manager, Pat Houston, stated, “Her voice that voice! remains eternal. Her legacy will live forever.”

Cher and Carlos Santana were not present but appeared via video messages.

Cher humorously reflected on her lifelong love for singing, while Santana’s son Salvador accepted the award on his behalf, describing music as a tool for hope and joy.

Paul Simon was recognised, with Bernie Taupin paying tribute to him as “the greatest American songwriter alive.”

Additional Special Merit honours were presented, including a Trustees Award to Taupin, a posthumous award to Latin jazz pioneer Eddie Palmieri, a historic recognition for music executive Sylvia Rhone, and a Technical Grammy Award for John Chowning’s innovations in sound synthesis.

Jennifer Jimenez, a band director from South Miami Senior High School, received the Music Educator Award, and British singer Raye’s Ice Cream Man won the Harry Belafonte Song for Social Change Award.

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The ceremony highlighted the Recording Academy’s commitment to celebrating artists and innovators whose influence extends beyond commercial success, reinforcing music’s enduring cultural and social impact.