The Grammys aired on Sunday night and, per usual, the In Memoriam segment was one of the most touching moments of the night. Like the Oscars, the Grammys annually include an In Memoriam segment to honor all of the musicians who passed in 2022 and early 2023. Among the many musicians honored this year were Takeoff, Lisa Marie Presley, Loretta Lynn, and Christine McVie. The segment saw Kacey Musgraves, Quavo and Maverick City Music, and Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood, and Bonnie Raitt perform while the names and faces of those who passed played on the large screens behind them.
Every year, it’s important to remember that not every musician who passed in the preceding year will be featured in the In Memoriam segment. The Grammys can only feature a limited number of figures in the video montage to keep it within the allotted time slot. However, fans were still outraged that Aaron Carter was not spotted in the montage portion of the In Memoriam segment. Carter, an American singer and rapper, passed away unexpectedly on November 5, 2022, at the age of 34.
Carter broke into the music industry when still a teenager and quickly became a teen idol. He ended up taking a hiatus from music beginning in 2002 but made his return in 2018 with the album Love. His latest album, Blacklist, was released posthumously. Carter’s passing was heavily covered by the media, meaning he was a face most viewers were looking for in the In Memoriam segment.
Viewers react to Aaron Carter’s absence from Grammys’ In Memoriam
It didn’t take long for viewers to take to Twitter to question Carter’s absence from the In Memoriam segment. At first, some viewers questioned if they had simply missed his photo due to the camera angles during the live show. However, further Tweets and media reports seemingly confirmed that Carter was not included in the video montage. His name, though, was listed in the awards show’s program book in the In Memoriam section.
Many users were unsatisfied with Carter’s name only appearing in the program. Most reacted with outrage, slamming the Grammys for seemingly excluding Carter. Others reacted more with shock—those questioning whether the Grammys really forgot to include the singer or if they missed his appearance.
Some users also mentioned that Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins was another prominent figure seemingly missing from the segment. However, there is an explanation behind Hawkins’ absence. Hawkins passed away on March 25, 2022, just days before the 64th Annual Grammys premiered. As a result, he was included in last year’s In Memoriam segment instead of this year’s. However, other late musicians, like Gangsta Boo and Lil Keed, were also absent without explanation.
Other users also acknowledged that Carter had not been nominated for a Grammy during his lifetime. However, they still felt his contributions to the industry should have been recognized.
Why wasn’t Carter included in the Grammys’ In Memoriam?
So far, the Recording Academy has not addressed Carter’s absence from the montage portion of the In Memoriam segment. Since his name was listed in the program book, it is clear that they did not forget about him. Hence, the likeliest explanation is that it was simply time restraints that kept him from the video montage. Still, it can’t be denied that it was an odd choice for him to be excluded given how much media attention he has received in recent months.
Meanwhile, some viewers are claiming that the controversy surrounding Carter played into the Grammys’ decision. He had lost custody of his son shortly before his passing and had a very turbulent relationship with his ex-fiancé Melanie Martin and his family, especially his estranged brother, Nick.
However, many acknowledge that mental illness played a role in Carter’s actions, after he revealed, “The official diagnosis is that I suffer from multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, acute anxiety; I’m manic depressive.” Additionally, some pointed out that Nick Carter is currently steeped in controversy after being accused of sexual assault. There is no evidence that these controversies were responsible for Carter’s absence, though.
(featured image: Gilbert Carrasquillo/WireImage)
