Natalie Cole's Family Outraged Over Grammy Tribute Snub, Awards Execs Defend Decision

Sunday night’s 58th Annual Grammy Awards featured several tributes in memory of musicians who passed away in the last year.

Unfortunately, the show failed to honor nine-time Grammy winner Natalie Cole in an unforgettable way, and it’s a decision that has left her family outraged.

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“Words cannot express the outrage and utter disappointment at the disrespecful tribute, or lack thereof, to a legendary artist such as our sister,”  Timolin Casey Cole said in a statement to Entertainment Tonight.

Robert Adam Yancy, Cole’s son, told ET that the his mother “deserved more than (to be a part of) a minute-and-a-half tribute.”

“It was shameless the way they minimized her legacy. We will find solace in her legacy as well as her endless fans around the world,” he added.

Farewell, Natalie: A Look Back at an Unforgettable Life

Billboard reports that the award show’s long-time producer, Ken Ehrlich, came to the defense of the dedication decision saying, “Frankly, I think it was appropriate.”

Ehrlich said he thought the tribute was both “touching and emotional.”

Cole passed away on New Year’s Eve at age 65 from idopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.