This past Christmas, the world of music lost yet another legend. English singer and songwriter George Michael passed away Christmas day, leaving the world shocked. While fans publically mourned his death, Michael’s family has yet to properly mourn their late family member. Between the leaked emergency call and their complicated relationship with the singer’s boyfriend, Michael’s family has been caught in quite in a whirlwind. Michael’s family selected Adele to be the single artist to pay tribute to their fallen family member at the 79th Grammy Awards.

With the myriad of George Michael’s hits, Adele selected one of his hidden gems “Fast Love”. She explained how even at the young of 10 years old, she heard the vulnerability in the song and Michael’s words. She also spoke of how “devastated” she was by the singer’s death, saying she “actually had to go for a walk on my own and just breathe for a while” when she heard the news And while many viewers seem to be stuck on her need to restart the performance, Adele made it clear that she “couldn’t mess this up for him”. She notes, “I took great comfort in him — and the bigger my career got, in trying to remain myself”.