Arts & Entertainment
Grammys 2017: Adele sweeps awards; David Bowie posthumously wins big
George Michael, Prince given tributes
(Screenshot via Twitter.)
Adele collected all five of her nominated categories at the 59th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday but when she won Album of the Year, for “25,” she was more disappointed because her big win meant something else.
Beyoncé hadn’t won for her visual album “Lemonade.”
Adele used her time on stage to explain just how important Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” was to her.
“I can’t possibly accept this award, and I’m very humble and very grateful and gracious, but my artist of my life is Beyoncé,” Adele says. “And this album for me, the ‘Lemonade’ album, was just so monumental and so well-thought-out and so beautiful and soul-baring.”
Beyoncé looked on tearfully from the audience mouthing “Thank you” to Adele’s praise.
“The way you make me and my friends feel, the way you make my black friends feel is empowering,” Adele continued. “And they stand up for themselves. And I love you and I always have and I always will.”
Adele: “My artist of my life is Beyonce and this album, the Lemonade album, was just so monumental.” #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/noldxnyEYq
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 13, 2017
Adele also won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album. She opened the show with a performance of her hit song “Hello.” She later gave a tribute to the late George Michael, which she requested to restart on stage, after beginning the performance on a flat note.
Beyoncé took home awards for Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video for “Formation.” She gave her first post-pregnancy performance with artistic renditions of “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles.”
Chance the Rapper, whose brother Taylor Bennett came out as bisexual last month, won Best New Artist and Best Rap Album for “Coloring Book.”
David Bowie posthumously won five awards, tying Adele for the most wins of the night, for his last project “Blackstar,” including Best Alternative Music Album.
Laverne Cox introduced a Lady Gaga and Metalica rock duet but before the performance began she drew attention to transgender high school student Gavin Grimm’s legal battle to use the boys’ restroom.
“Everyone, please Google ‘Gavin Grimm,'” Cox told the crowd. “He’s going to the Supreme Court in March. #StandWithGavin.”
Lady Gaga, who gave a tribute to Bowie at last year’s Grammys ceremony, rocked out with Metallica in a performance that had some technical difficulties when frontman James Hetfeld’s microphone went out.
The ceremony also included another tribute, this time in honor of Prince. Morris Day and the Time performed “Jungle Love” and “The Bird” before Bruno Mars came out to sing “Let’s Go Crazy” donning Prince’s trademark white ruffle shirt and sparkly purple suit.
For a complete list of winners, visit here.
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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