The ceremony came a little over a day after the singer was found dead in the bathroom of her Beverly Hills hotel room, but the circumstances surrounding her death are set to remain a mystery for some time.
With the curtain raised - the tributes flowed.
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From prayers led by host LL Cool J - to shout- outs mid- performance.
English singer Adele was the biggest winner - taking out song, record and album of the year.
But most of the anticipation had been reserved for Jennifer Hudson.
She had less than a day to prepare for her performance - a culmination of the music industry's appreciation for Whitney Houston.
Footage showed Houston a little over a day before her death at a pre-Grammy party - putting on what would become her last ever performance.
Photos afterwards appeared to show her angry and disheveled - with traces of what looks like blood on her leg.
The Los Angeles coroner has confirmed Houston's body was found in the bathtub of her Beverly Hilton Hotel room.
But pending toxicology results mean a cause of death may not be known for up to eight weeks.
Police have also requested her autopsy results be kept secret - leaving authorities unable to comment on reports she was discovered surrounded by numerous sedatives.
Houston's death proved too much for her 18 year old daughter Bobbi Kristina - she was taken to hospital after suffering an anxiety attack.
She's since been released.
Her father, singer Bobby Brown, has requested privacy for his family after giving an emotional goodbye to his ex- wife at a concert in Tennessee.
The outpouring of grief continues for music fans across the world.
But if the Grammys were any indication, Houston's legacy will carry on longer than any spine-tingling note she could ever deliver.
List of Grammy winners:
* Album of the Year - 21, Adele
* Record of the Year - Rolling in the Deep, Adele
* Song of the Year - Rolling in the Deep, Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth
* New Artist - Bon Iver
* Pop Vocal Album - 21, Adele
* Pop Performance by a Duo or Group - Body and Soul, Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse
* Pop Solo Performance - Someone Like You, Adele
* Rock Song - Walk, Foo Fighters
* Rock Album - Wasting Light, Foo Fighters
* Rock Performance - Walk, Foo Fighters
* R&B Song - Fool For You, Cee Lo Green, Melanie Hallim & Jack Splash
* R&B Album - F.A.M.E., Chris Brown
* Rap Performance - Otis, Jay-Z and Kanye West
* Rap Song - All of the Lights, Kanye West
* Rap Album - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West
* Country Vocal Solo Performance - Mean, Taylor Swift
* Country Performance by a Duo or Group - Barton Hollow, The Civil Wars
* Country Album - Own the Night, Lady Antebellum
* Latin Pop, Rock or Urban Album - Drama y Luz, Mana
* Jazz Vocal Album - The Mosaic Project, Terri Lyne Carrington & various artists
* Opera Recording - Adams: Doctor Atomic, Alan Gilbert, conductor
* Traditional Gospel Album - Hello Fear, Kirk Franklin
* Dance Recording - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, Skrillex
* Dance/Electronica Album - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, Skrillex
* Alternative Music Album - Bon Iver, Bon Iver
* Spoken Word Album - If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't), Betty White
