Grammys Pay Tribute to David Bowie, Glenn Frey and Lemmy, But Nothing for Maurice White or Natalie Cole… Not Cool

It is still unclear whether the late Maurice White will be included in this year’s Grammy Awards live tributes, as producers scramble under time constraints and pressures to diversify the show.

The musician, songwriter, producer and founder of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, died last week on at the age of 74 after suffering from Parkinson’s Disease for decades.

Page Six reported: ‘Industry insiders are griping that White and Natalie Cole have been banished to a video tribute package with others who died in the past year.’

Maurice White, who died on February 4, and Natalie Cole, the singer-song\writer and daughter of Nat King Cole who died on December 31, will be relegated to the video tribute package.

The Grammys, set to air on Monday night, will see an all-white tribute section to remember David Bowie, Glenn Frey of the Eagles, and Lemmy from Motorhead.

An insider told Page Six: ‘The tributes they’ve confirmed are all white. As of yesterday, there was no tribute at all for Maurice because Grammy producers said they didn’t have time.

‘People are afraid to speak on it because it’s the Grammys. But there’s a history of them not acknowledging black artists.’

Another source told the website that the producers are under pressure and still unsure how to acknowledge White’s death, given the artist’s monumental role in popular music.