After confusing Luther Vandross with Kendrick Lamar at the 2026 Grammy Awards, Cher has gone viral.
During Sunday night’s (2.01) ceremony at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the legendary singer/actress was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Trevor Noah, who asked Cher to stick around to announce the Record of the Year category.
After handing her an envelope, the iconic entertainer confessed that she was told the winner would be “on the prompter.” When the now 79-year-old opened the envelope and read out “Luther” and then said “Vandross,” she seemingly referred to R&B icon Luther Vandross, who died at the age of 54 in 2005.
“Oh, the Grammy goes to Luther Vandross… Oh…no… Kendrick Lamar!” she said.
Cher, who struggled with dyslexia as a child, quickly realized her error and announced the correct winners – Kendrick Lamar and SZA for their 2024 song ‘Luther,’ the track that contains a sample of Luther and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 track ‘If This World Were Mine.’
In his acceptance speech, the superstar rapper/writer recalled how Luther’s estate agreed for him to sample the song on the condition that there was “no cursing,” adding:
“Luther Vandross is one of my favourite artists of all time. They granted us the privilege to do our version of it. When we got that clearance, I promise you we all near dropped to tears… It proved we were somewhat worthy to be just as great as them individuals. They granted us that.”
In light of current U.S. tensions over President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, SZA urged fans “not to fall into despair.” “We’re not governed by the government. We’re governed by God,” she added.
Following last year’s win for ‘Not Like Us,’ Kendrick is the first male artist to win Record of the Year consecutively, and made history as the first rapper to win the award two times. Having also won Best Rap Song for TV Off and Best Rap Album for GNX, Lamar has now surpassed Jay-Z to become the most-awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy Awards history.
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America