LOS ANGELES (AP) – Both Rihanna and Lauryn Hill ended up missing their performances at the Grammys. But they didn’t take the stage for different reasons. Rihanna was sick – very sick. She had been suffering from respiratory problems and tried to tough it out. But after she rehearsed, Grammy chief Neil Portnow told reporters that her doctor told her she risked damaging her vocal cords if she tried to perform. For Lauryn Hill, the problem was the clock, not her throat. Portnow says Hill had been asked to perform with The Weeknd and had been at the day’s rehearsal – but never made it back to the Staples Center in time for the performance. Despite that, Portnow said The Weeknd “killed it.”
