Naya Rivera’s fans are not happy with the Recording Academy for leaving her out of their In Memoriam tribute during the televised broadcast of the 2021 GRAMMY Awards.
While the late Glee actress and singer was included on the “list of artists and industry professionals the music community lost in 2020–2021” on the GRAMMYs website, for many fans, that doesn’t change the fact that she was noticeably absent from the telecast. Once the segment aired, Rivera’s fans rushed to social media to air out their disappointment, also pointing out the fact that she’s been nominated for two GRAMMY Awards in the past.
One fan wrote: “What about naya rivera @RecordingAcad? one of our most terrible losses this year. It doesn‘t matter if she didn’t have a solo musical career of her own, she made history through glee. you don’t find a voice like hers anywhere, she was unique. her covers were bigger than many.”
“Naya Rivera was a singer, not just an actress,” another Twitter user wrote. “She was a two time Grammy nominee. Had a career that spanned more than two decades. She died saving her son‘s life. The fact that the @RecordingAcad didn’t see fit to include her in the In Memoriam section is disgraceful.”
Another said, “since the #GRAMMYs didn‘t mention her i’ll do it. rest in peace naya rivera you beautiful angel we love you and miss you so much.”
Before paying tribute to the music-industry professionals we lost over the past year, host Trevor Noah emphasized on the televised show that “all of these individuals who died prior to its print date are included in the official 63rd GRAMMY Awards program book.”
Because some artists got longer tributes--including Little Richard, Eddie Van Halen, and Kenny Rogers--the show didn’t have time to include the names of every artist, directing fans to the GRAMMYs website for a full list.
Glee was nominated for a total of three GRAMMYs over the course of its six-season run, in both 2011 and 2012. Following his death in 2013, Rivera’s costar Cory Monteith was honored during the show’s In Memoriam video tribute, but unfortunately, his name was misspelled.
