Whitney Houston will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy next year.
The late artist – who passed away in 2012 due to an overdose – will be remembered at a ceremony in Los Angeles in January 2026, with one of the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards.
Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, Cher, Fela Kuti and Paul Simon will also receive lifetime achievement awards at the ceremony.
Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented to performers who have made creative contributions of impeccable artistic significance to the recording field.
Bernie Taupin, Eddie Palmieri and Sylvia Rhone will be presented with the Trustees Awards and John Chowning will receive the Artistic Grammy Award.
The Trustees Awards are presented to individuals who have made significant contributions, other than performance, to the recording field, while the Artistic Grammy Awards are presented to those who have made contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the recording field.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “It is a true honor to honor this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — an extraordinary group whose influence spans generations, genres and the foundation of modern music,” he said. “Each of these honorees has made a profound and lasting impact, and we look forward to celebrating their remarkable accomplishments on the eve of Sunday’s Grammys.”
Grammy Week is the Recording Academy’s week-long celebration consisting of official Grammy Week events celebrating the music community and current Grammy Award nominees in the lead-up to the annual Grammy Awards.