When the 2026 Grammys air on February 1, country star and “The Voice” coach Reba McEntire will pay tribute to those in the music industry who passed away over the last year. This will be the third major awards show in eight months for which McEntire has headlined a tribute to artists who have died. That includes friends McEntire lost last year, including Grand Ole Opry member Jeannie Seely and songwriter Melba Montgomery.
According to a press release from CBS, McEntire will lead the “In Memoriam” segment, joined by fellow country artists Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson to honor music industry creatives who’ve died. A social media announcement from the Grammys noted that McEntire’s appearance will be a “touching in memoriam tribute to musical icons.”
In addition, Lauryn Hill will make a rare appearance at the Grammys, performing in honor of D’Angelo and Roberta Flack, and there will be a special tribute to Ozzy Osbourne featuring Post Malone, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Duff McKagan, and Slash.
Reba McEntire Led the Emmys & ACM ‘In Memoriam’ Segments in 2025
McEntire’s tribute at the Grammys will be her third time in eight months that she’s led awards show segments dedicated to fellow creatives who’ve passed.
In May 2025, while hosting the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMs), she performed and spoke during a tribute segment about those who’d contributed to country music, including her friend Kris Kristofferson. To begin the segment, she led an audience sing-along of “Me & Bobby McGee,” a classic tune he wrote for the late great Janis Joplin.
In September, McEntire led a musical tribute for the 40th anniversary of the iconic TV show “Golden Girls” and its cast, all of whom have died (Bea Arthur (Dorothy), Estelle Getty (Sophia), Rue McClanahan (Blanche), and Betty White (Rose) — the last surviving member, who passed at age 99 in 2021.
For that tribute, McEntire teamed with Little Big Town members Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman to sing the “Golden Girls” theme song.
Will Reba McEntire Honor Her Own Stepson During Grammys Tribute?
GettyMcEntire’s family faced a devastating loss in 2025, with the death of her former stepson, Brandon Blackstock, who was part of the music industry for many years before turning his attention to ranching.
Following in the footsteps of his dad, Narvel Blackstock — a legendary talent manager and McEntire’s husband from 1989 to 2015 — Brandon managed his ex-wife Kelly Clarkson’s career for many years.
But it’s not likely that Blackstock’s name and photo will be included in the Grammys tribute. He is not part of the organization’s online database of creatives who died during the last year.
In addition to performing the Grammys tribute, McEntire is nominated in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category with Lainey Wilson and Miranda Lambert for their song “Trailblazer.”
