Cher causes confusion with ‘Luther Vandross’ comment at Grammy Awards

Cher has gone viral online after seemingly confusing Luther Vandross with Kendrick Lamar at the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday night.

During the ceremony held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the Believe hitmaker was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Trevor Noah.

The host then asked Cher to stick around to announce the Record of the Year category, and handed her an envelope, to which the entertainer confessed that she was told the winner would be “on the prompter”.

The 79-year-old opened the envelope and read out “Luther” and then said “Vandross” – seemingly referring to R&B icon Luther Vandross, who died at the age of 54 in 2005.

“Oh, the Grammy goes to Luther Vandross… Oh…no… Kendrick Lamar!” she said.

Yet, Cher – who struggled with dyslexia as a child – quickly realised her error and announced the correct winners – Kendrick Lamar and SZA for their 2024 song Luther.

The track contains a sample of Luther and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 track If This World Were Mine.

In his acceptance speech, Kendrick recalled how Luther’s estate agreed for him to sample the song on the condition that there was “no cursing”.

“Luther Vandross is one of my favourite artists of all time. They granted us the privilege to do our version of it. When we got that clearance, I promise you we all near dropped to tears… It proved we were somewhat worthy to be just as great as them individuals. They granted us that,” he shared.

And to conclude, SZA – real name Solána Rowe – urged fans “not to fall into despair” in light of current tensions in the U.S. over President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

“We’re not governed by the government. We’re governed by God,” she added.

Kendrick was one of the big winners at the ceremony, becoming the first male artist to win Record of the Year consecutively, following his win for Not Like Us last year. He also made history as the first rapper to win the award twice.

The musician, who also won Best Rap Song for TV Off and Best Rap Album for GNX, has now surpassed Jay-Z to become the most-awarded hip-hop artist in Grammy Awards history.