John Legend has a special place in his heart for one particular song, revealing the one that gives him ‘comfort when singing’ — and how it relates to his late grandmother

The singer won a Grammy for the song at the annual music event on Feb. 2

John Legend performs on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on April 05, 2023 in London, England.

John Legend performing in April 2023. Photo: Jo Hale/Redferns

John Legend has a special place in his heart for one specific song.

While chatting with reporters in the press room at the 2025 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, the singer, 46, opened up about his favorite tune to sing — and how it ties to his late grandmother.

“One of the songs that I sing a lot at my shows, it was written by the great Simon & Garfunkel, and I perform it and dedicate it to my grandmother, who we lost far too early, … is ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ ” Legend said.

Highlighting that the track is “a great song to comfort people in really tough times,” the father of four continued, “I’m so grateful that that song exists.”

“The loss of my grandmother caused a lot of pain for my family that really affected us for a long time, and I perform ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ as a way of honoring her memory,” added Legend. “It really brings me comfort to sing that song.”

John Legend performs onstage during The Event hosted by the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation on October 07, 2023

John Legend performing in October 2023. Bryan Steffy/Getty

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“Bridge Over Troubled Water” was originally released by Simon & Garfunkel’s Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel in January 1970 as the second single from their fifth studio album of the same name.

The track won five awards at the Grammy Awards in 1971, including record of the year and song of the year, and the tune topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks.

Legend has performed a cover of the popular song for many years, and he released his own version of the track on an updated version of his Legend album in 2023.

A year later, the musician appeared on an acapella version of the song, released by Jacob Collier, which also featured vocals from Tori Kelly. The track scored a win in the best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella category at the 2025 Grammys.

“Hopefully our version will bring some comfort to folks, just like that song has brought comfort to me,” Legend said in the press room at the annual music event.