While Hudson's emotion was front and center, drama unfolded behind the scenes when police said just 90 minutes before the show began that they were investigating nominee Chris Brown for allegedly attacking an unidentified woman. Then, minutes before U2 opened the telecast, the Recording Academy said Rihanna, Brown's longtime girlfriend, had scratched her performance.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the two developments were related.
Hudson won best R&B album for her debut CD. The singer and Oscar-winning actress had released the album just weeks before her mother, brother and nephew were killed in Chicago.
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