To kick off the evening’s tributes, Erica Campbell and Le’Andria Johnson came through to honor all of the lives lost over the past year, particularly the life and legacy of gospel legend Richard Smallwood. 

Accompanied by a choir, Campbell put her heart and soul into her rendition of “I Love The Lord,” which Smallwood wrote and composed in 1970 before it was popularized by Whitney Houston in 1996 for The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack. Campbell also noted that the song she performed was a tribute to Clive Davis, who loved it and recently passed away at 94.

In addition to the classic hymn-turned-song, Johnson joined Campbell to perform Smallwood’s biggest hit, “Total Praise.” By the time the Sunday Best winner and her rich voice hit that final “amen,” the audience was on its feet.

Of his own legacy, Smallwood once explained to The Plain Dealer: “Songs come out and fill the charts, but in four or five years, people have forgotten about them. I want to write songs that will stand the test of time. I want to write standards that inspire.” Smallwood passed away in December 2025 at the age of 77. 

Watch the full tribute above, which also honors Malcolm-Jamal Warner and more figures we lost in the last year.