The 2025 Grammy Awards just convened one of the brightest clusters of stars in recent awards show history.

Cynthia Erivo, Herbie Hancock, Jacob Collier, Janelle Monáe, Lainey Wilson, Will Smith, and Stevie Wonder all took the Crypto.com Arena stage to honor late music legend Quincy Jones, who died Nov. 3 at 91.

Will Smith kicked off the tribute with some touching words about Jones, who produced his breakout series, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. “The great Herbie Hancock everybody, playing ‘Killer Joe,'” Smith said, gesturing to the iconic musician at the piano to his left.

“Last year we lost one of the most groundbreaking and influential figures of our times,” Smith continued. “In his 91 years, Q touched countless lives, but I have to say he changed mine forever. You probably wouldn’t even know who Will Smith was without Quincy Jones.”

Smith then handed the mic off to Wicked star and EGOT hopeful Cynthia Erivo, who sang a rousing rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon.” Erivo started out slow, gently accompanied by Hancock, before kicking into high gear with a full band backing.

Erivo then introduced one of the night’s big nominees, Lainey Wilson, who ripped into a twangy version of B.B. King’s “Let the Good Times Roll” with Album and Song of the Year nominee Jacob Collier on the piano. “The one and only, Stevie Wonder!” Wilson proudly announced, as the camera panned to the “Isn’t She Lovely” singer sitting beside Hancock at the piano.

The pair played an instrumental version of the Toots Thielemans song “Blusette,” which Jones re-recorded for his 1975 album Mellow Madness. Wonder reminisced to Hancock, “I remember you when I was three years old. I said, ‘When I grow up I’m gonna be like you, play piano.'”

Wonder continued, “Quincy was always there to help. When he produced this next anthem, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, this song fed millions of people in Ethiopia.”

The legendary duo were then joined by a full chorus of young singers — students from two schools that were lost in the recent Los Angeles fires, Pasadena Waldorf School in Altadena and Palisades Charter High School. The whole room began singing “We Are the World,” the charity single Richie co-wrote and co-produced for USA for Africa in 1985.

Janelle Monáe then got the entire audience on their feet by embodying the late pop icon Jackson with a rendition of his Jones-produced mega-hit, “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough.” “Thank you Quincy Jones!” Monáe cried out midway through the electrifying performance.

Born in Chicago, Ill., in 1933, the legendary songwriter and arranger discovered an interest in jazz and playing the trumpet at a young age. Though he scored several films, including The Pawnbroker, Jones soon turned to producing and arranging.

Jones produced the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, as well as Michael Jackson’s other hit albums Off the Wall and Bad. He also helmed Lesley Gore’s biggest hit songs — “It’s My Party” and “You Don’t Own Me” — and produced TV shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. With 28 Grammys, he’s currently the third-highest winner of all time.

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The late producer died at his Bel Air home the evening of Nov. 3 with family by his side, his publicist Arnold Robinson told EW at the time.

Among the nominees who performed Sunday were Benson Boone, Shaboozey, and Doechii, all of whom were nominated for Best New Artist; Chappell Roan, who took home that award after a barn-storming rendition of her song “Pink Pony Club”; and Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter, who were both nominated for Record, Song, and Album of the Year.