The 54th Grammy Awards tried to strike a delicate balance Sunday night between celebrating the best music of 2011 and addressing the sudden and tragic death of pop diva Whitney Houston.

The show began with a rocking performance by Bruce Springsteen and the first of several nods to Houston, who was found dead in her room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Saturday afternoon.

Late in the show, Jennifer Hudson delivered an emotional, powerful performance of Houston's classic hit ‘I Will Always Love You' after the late singer's image flashed on a screen behind her.

But other tributes were intermittent and brief, with high-energy performances by Bruno Mars, Chris Brown, Katy Perry and others dominating the show.

The night belonged to British singer Adele, who made a triumphant return to the stage after undergoing vocal cord surgery and picked up the night's top honours, including record of the year and album of the year.

She collected six Grammys in total and got a standing ovation after belting out ‘Rolling in the Deep' – her first public performance since the surgery.

After Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off music's biggest night with their new single ‘We Take Care of Our Own,' host LL Cool J emerged on stage and led the packed Staples Center in Los Angeles in solemn prayer.

"We've had a death in our family," the rapper and actor said.

Houston's friends and fellow artists bowed their heads as he thanked God "for sharing our sister with us."

"Whitney, we will always love you," he said.

The Grammys quickly switched gears again with an energetic, Elvis-inspired performance by Bruno Mars.

Earlier, Toronto R&B singer Melanie Fiona won her first two Grammy Awards and immediately paid tribute to Houston.

The 28-year-old Fiona claimed the prizes for best traditional R&B performance and best R&B song for her Cee Lo Green collaboration "Fool For You."

"Whitney Houston, I would not be standing up here if it was not for you -- God bless you," said Fiona, who been nominated twice previously.

Among the big winners were Kanye West, who picked up four Grammys, and the Foo Fighters, who snapped up five trophies.

Also notable was the performance from controversial singer Chris Brown, whose career stuttered three years ago when he assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna the night of the awards bash.

Still, the crowd cheered Brown when he accepted his Grammy for best R&B album.

Rihanna took the stage after her ex, performing a duet with Coldplay's Chris Martin.

Later, Stevie Wonder gave a shout out to Houston "in heaven" before introducing Paul McCartney, who sang a new ballad, ‘My Valentine.'

Other Canadians nominated for Grammys didn't fare well. Toronto rapper Drake and DJ Deadmau5 -- from Niagara Falls, Ont. -- were each shut out despite three nominations apiece, while Sum 41 and Toronto composer Ryan Shore also missed out on awards.