In his first appearance since he and wife Chrissy Teigen lost their third child, John Legend dedicated his performance to his bride.
Legend tearfully sang “Never Break” at the Billboard Music Awards Wednesday night.
“This is for Chrissy,” he said as he launched into the ballad.
The song’s lyrics describe a relationship that is built to take on life’s challenges: “We got a good thing, babe / Whenever life is hard / We’ll never lose our way / ‘Cause we both know who we are / Who knows about tomorrow? / We don’t know what’s in the stars / I just know I’ll always follow / The light in your heart.”
The couple announced the tragic loss on Sept. 30.
“We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before,” Teigen wrote on Instagram. “We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn’t enough.”
Read More: Chrissy Teigen, John Legend mourn the loss of baby boy after miscarriage
Their baby, a boy, did not survive what Teigen described as a high-risk pregnancy due to an issue with a weak placenta and abnormal bleeding.
In her announcement, she wrote to “Jack,” saying, “I’m so sorry that the first few moments of your life were met with so many complications, that we couldn’t give you the home you needed to survive. We will always love you.”
Read More: John Legend, Chrissy Teigen gave the gift of grief, here’s what they deserve in return
Since the announcement, Teigen, normally an active social media user, has been silent.
The couple has two other children, Luna , 4, and Miles, 2. Both were conceived via in vitro fertilization.
The Billboard Music Awards, held Wednesday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, was broadcast live on NBC and hosted by Kelly Clarkson for the third year. The event had been rescheduled from April due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read More: Lizzo talks ‘suppression’ during Billboard Music Awards speech: ‘Use your voice’
Background dancers wore masks, and there was no live audience. The ceremony featured a sound system that simulated applause.
Luke Combs, who won an award for top country artist, thanked the show’s production crew for making the event safe.
“They have gone through some insane stuff to make this happen for you guys,” he said.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.today!