LL Cool J Opens Grammys With Prayer For Whitney Houston

Sincere prayer on a Hollywood stage? You don "t see that every day, but Sunday was not an average day. At the beginning of the 2012 Grammy Awards, host LL Cool J paid tribute to Whitney Houston, who died the previous day at 48.

"There "s no way around this," he said, addressing a silent crowd. "We "ve had a death in our family, and so at least for me, the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer for a woman we loved, for our fallen sister, Whitney Houston."

Watch LL Cool J "s prayer for Whitney Houston below:

After the NCIS: Los Angeles star finished, a video of Houston singing her hit "I Will Always Love You" played. "Whitney, we will always love you," he continued.

"And we "ll remember you the best way we know how – with a song."