Adele Dominates while Whitney is Remembered at the Grammy Awards

LOS ANGELES - Whitney Houston's death was weighing on many minds at the 54th Grammy Awards on Sunday night -- but an event that began with somber reflection soon turned into a celebration of some of the world's biggest music stars.

And one shone brighter than the others, with British singer Adele's booming voice transcending to sweep six awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Adele took out three major awards -- Album Of The year for "21," Record Of The Year for "Rolling In The Deep" and Best Song for writing "Rolling In The Deep" with Paul Epworth.

She also took out Grammys for Best Pop Solo Performance with "Someone Like You," Best Pop Vocal Album with "21" and Best Short Form Music Video with "Rolling In The Deep."

After thanking everyone from her mother to her record company for her sixth and final Grammy for Album Of The Year, it all became too much for the crying Brit and her bodily functions.

"Oh my God, a bit of snot," she said, laughing through the tears and providing an unscripted moment of levity to the night.

Earlier, performing in public for the first time since undergoing throat surgery in November, she belted out a stunning rendition of "Rolling In The Deep," in a much-anticipated performance that brought the crowd to its feet.

The assembled stars had also risen after Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off the event with a rocking number -- new single, "We Take Care of Our Own."

But with only 24 hours passing since news of Houston's death, the mood was sober as host LL Cool J came to the stage for the first time.

"There is no way around this ... we have had a death in our family. For me, the only thing that feels right is to begin with a prayer ... for our sister, Whitney Houston," he said, before dedicating a prayer to the late pop star as the assembled stars bowed their heads.

It wasn't just Houston's passing weighing on the attendees' minds. The music industry lost some big names over the past year, including Amy Winehouse and Etta James. Even the opening act, Springsteen and his E Street Band mates, have suffered recent heartbreak -- saxophonist Clarence "Big Man" Clemons died last June.

After a photo montage of high-profile musicians who died over the last 12 months, Jennifer Hudson appeared on stage to perform a tribute to Houston. Event organizers had selected the Oscar and Grammy winner just hours earlier to sing Houston's most famous hit, "I Will Always Love You."

Choking back tears before the track's soaring rise, Hudson finished the song -- which Houston performed at the Grammys in 1994 -- by saying, "Whitney, we will always love you."

Still, despite the obvious sorrow, legendary music industry executive Clive Davis' belief that Houston would want the show to go on was borne out Sunday night -- with vigorous, upbeat performances from the Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Rihanna, Taylor Swift and the Beach Boys sparking rousing ovations.

The unofficial award for the most bizarre performance of the night undoubtedly went to Nicki Minaj, who appeared to undergo an onstage exorcism as she performed "Roman Holiday," before levitating towards the roof -- raising more than a few eyebrows and a lot of online criticism.

It came after Katy Perry, sporting bright blue hair, had earlier debuted a new song, "Part Of Me," that many observers believed contained a not-too-subtle swipe at her soon-to-be ex-husband Russell Brand.

"You chewed me up and spit me out/Like I was poison in your mouth/You took my light, you drained me down ... You ripped me off, your love was cheap," Perry sang. The pair, who married in late 2010, are in the throes of a divorce.

The presentation of awards almost took a backseat to the tributes and performances Sunday night, but several major artists still enjoyed success.

Like Adele, US rapper Kanye West was a multiple winner, taking out Grammys in categories including Best Rap Album for "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his collaboration with Rihanna, Kid Cudi and Fergie on his song "All Of The Lights."

Tony Bennett and the late Amy Winehouse won the Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with "Body and Soul," and Skrillex won the Best Dance Recording award for "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites."

Chris Brown won the award for Best R&B album with "F.A.M.E."

The Foo Fighters rocked their way to four early wins, taking out the Grammys for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for "White Limo," Best Rock Song for "Walk," Best Rock Album with "Wasting Light" and Best Long Form Music Video for "Foo Fighters: Back and Forth." They later nabbed Best Rock Performance for "Walk."

Soulful indie group Bon Iver won the major Grammy for Best New Artist, but lead singer Justin Vernon probably didn't win over too many record executives when he said during his acceptance speech that it was "hard to accept" the award. The American ended up dedicating the award to both the other nominees and those who will "never be nominated."

In the country categories,