When Grammy Awards producers learned of Whitney Houston's death less than 24 hours before the live telecast, they scrapped parts of the script, added performances and puzzled over how best to honour the Grammy-winning singer who died unexpectedly at age 48.

Host LL Cool J said that addressing the Grammy audience at the Staples Center after Houston's death was "definitely the most challenging moment I've faced in my career."

He decided to open with a prayer, and producers agreed, though none could recall another network TV event that began as such.

This and other last-minute changes made to the 54th annual Grammy Awards are chronicled in a new documentary, "A Death in the Family: The Show Must Go On," which premiered Monday at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.