B.B. King
B.B. King, pictured at the 45th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux in 2011, passed away on May 14. The 2015 Billboard Music Awards paid tribute to the late blues singer on Sunday. Reuters

The loss of B.B. King did not go without mention at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday night. In honor of the late musician, who passed away in Las Vegas at the age of 89 on May 14, co-host Ludacris took a moment to pay tribute to the legendary blues performer.

“This past week our music world lost a king. Not just any king, it was the king of blues himself, B.B. King,” Ludacris began his speech onstage as a photo of King performing was displayed in the background. “Although he came from humble roots in Mississippi, B.B. King became music royalty with the sound he made on his legendary guitar, Lucille. As long as we can all hear his music, the thrill will never be gone. God bless B.B. King.”

The tribute concluded with a shot of King’s guitar displayed onstage, accompanied by a spotlight. The lower third on the screen read: “B.B. King 1925-2015.”

The Grammy winner had reportedly suffered from health issues in the past year and had battled diabetes over 20 years prior to his death. He had been in hospice care prior to his passing.

For information on the Billboard Awards live stream click HERE. For a full list of 2015 nominees click HERE.

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