Natalie Cole’s family slam ‘disrespectful’ Grammys tribute

SHE was a nine-time Grammy winner, but Natalie Cole got barely a mention in yesterday’s ceremony. Her family are furious.

THE family of late soul singer Natalie Cole have hit out at Grammys organisers, saying their brief tribute to Cole was ‘disrespectful’ — and that they themselves were poorly treated.

Nine-time Grammy winner Cole died of congestive heart failure on December 31 last year at the age of 65. Her nine awards came from a total of 21 Grammy nominations throughout her career, however the ceremony’s acknowledgment of her passing was limited to a brief on-screen appearance during the In Memoriam segment of the evening.

“Here is a woman who has been in the business for four decades, had 21 Grammy nominations and won nine Grammys,” Cole’s son Robert Adam Yancy told Entertainment Tonight.

“She deserves more than [to be a part of] a minute-and-a-half tribute. It was shameless the way they minimised her legacy. We will find solace in her legacy as well as her endless fans around the world.”

In contrast, recently departed artists such as The Eagles’ Glenn Frey and David Bowie were given full musical tributes, with Bowie’s in particular an explosive affair featuring Lady Gaga and collaborator Nile Rodgers performing a hit-packed Bowie medley.

What’s more, the late sister’s singers Casey and Timolin tell the New York Post they were treated poorly by the show’s organisers and had seats so bad, they needed binoculars to watch the show.

“We sat there painfully for three hours and there was never one mention of her name. We thought that at the very least her name would be mentioned or there would be a respectable and dignified salute to her legacy and what she brought to the music industry,” Timolin said.

“It was promised [that we’d be able to honour them], but it wasn’t delivered.”

Casey added: “We were treated like lost kids at Disney World.”

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“We were surprised and shocked. It [felt] like she just evaporated in thin air. She passed in vain. We were given crappy seats sitting next to Justin Bieber fans,” she said.

But Timolin stressed that their goal is, “to do nothing but protect and preserve the legacy of our father and now Natalie. This is our job and passion.”

Originally published as Natalie Cole’s family slam ‘disrespectful’ Grammys tribute