Natalie Cole's Family and Fans Upset by 'Forgettable' Grammys Tribute to Late Singer
The late singer was not given a musical tribute at Monday night's show.
— -- Natalie Cole was not included among the many tributes at Monday night's Grammy Awards, and her family and fans can't help but be disappointed.
Although the late singer was noted in the Grammys' "In Memoriam" segment, the show did not feature a musical tribute to her like the ones for David Bowie, B.B. King, Maurice White and Glenn Frey.
"Sadly a FORGETTABLE tribute to Natalie Cole," Cole's sisters, Timolin and Casey, told Entertainment Tonight after the awards show, which they attended. "Words cannot express the outrage and utter disappointment at the disrespectful tribute, or lack thereof, to a legendary artist such as our sister."
Posting a black and white photo of Cole on Instagram, "Empire" creator Lee Daniels wrote, "Disappointed in Grammys... Come y'all ... She deserved a better tribute #9grammyswon really???... R.I.P."
Earlier on Saturday, singer Eric Benet posted a video on Facebook questioning the Grammys' decision not to include a tribute to Cole, calling it a "slap in the Music History Face."
Cole died on New Year's Eve as a result of heart failure brought on by idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. She was 65.
Timolin and Casey Cole on their way to the #GRAMMYs #NKCGH #NatalieCole #NatKingCole #Unforgettable #KeepMusicAlive pic.twitter.com/LFUlLP97QL
— NatKingColeHope (@NatKingColeHope) February 15, 2016
"Here is a woman who has been in the business for four decades, had 21 GRAMMY nominations and won nine GRAMMYs. She deserves more than [to be a part of] a minute-and-a-half tribute," Cole's son, Robert Adam Yancy, told ET Monday night. "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."
The Recording Academy, which sponsors the Grammys, did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
Meanwhile, Cole's fans took to Twitter to voice their disappointment.
"We lost so many greats but Natalie Cole 1st African American to win Best New Artist deserved a tribute #Grammys #BHM," actress Holly Robinson Peete tweeted after the show.
We lost so many greats but Natalie Cole 1st African American to win Best New Artist deserved a tribute #Grammys #BHM pic.twitter.com/tKMbrUtBkL
Posting a black and white photo of Cole on Instagram, "Empire" creator Lee Daniels wrote, "Disappointed in Grammys... Come y'all ... She deserved a better tribute #9grammyswon really???... R.I.P."
Earlier on Saturday, singer Eric Benet posted a video on Facebook questioning the Grammys' decision not to include a tribute to Cole, calling it a "slap in the Music History Face."
Cole died on New Year's Eve as a result of heart failure brought on by idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. She was 65.
Posting a black and white photo of Cole on Instagram, "Empire" creator Lee Daniels wrote, "Disappointed in Grammys... Come y'all ... She deserved a better tribute #9grammyswon really???... R.I.P."
Earlier on Saturday, singer Eric Benet posted a video on Facebook questioning the Grammys' decision not to include a tribute to Cole, calling it a "slap in the Music History Face."
Cole died on New Year's Eve as a result of heart failure brought on by idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension. She was 65.