Cher mistakenly announces late singer as Grammy winner

Photo: Cher/Getty Images

Pop icon Cher was set to present the Record of the Year award at the 2026 Grammy Awards, but she apparently got distracted from the task as she started talking about her career and even attempted to leave the stage without saying a name. 

Host Trevor Noah stopped him, asking him to announce the award before leaving (after all, that was the reason he went on stage).

She returned and, after opening the envelope, made another gaffe. Full of enthusiasm, she said the name of the late singer Luther Vandross as the winner, even though the award actually belonged to Kendrick Lamar and SZA for the song "Luther."

She quickly corrected herself, saying the award actually went to Kendrick Lamar.

The confusion likely came about because the winner was Kendrick Lamar ft. SZA for the song “Luther,” which includes a snippet of Vandross singing “If This World Were Mine.” And so, Cher became a mess.

Luther Vandross won eight Grammy Awards during his career and was nominated a total of 33 times. He died in 2005 at the age of 54.

Fans reacted immediately on social media and, apart from the gaffe, the comments were mostly positive:

"Cher said the Grammy goes to Luther Vandross. Actually, it wasn't that far off. I liked that she mentioned it. We miss him so much," one Twitter user wrote.

While another joked:

“I really like how excited Cher was when she came back to give Luther Vandross the Grammy.”

Cher has had a music career spanning over six decades, beginning in the 1960s, and has won Grammys, including one in 1998 for the hit "Believe."