Entertainment Tonight ET Online ETOnline.com

Ratings for last night's Grammy Awards surged in the wake of Whitney Houston's shocking death the day before the show.

The telecast drew a whopping 39 million viewers, the second-largest audience for a Grammy Awards in history. The ratings represented a 41 percent increase in audience over last year's show. 

Video: Stars Pay Homage to Whitney Houston at Grammys

Stars paid homage to the legendary Whitney Houston on the red carpet and the Grammy show featured a special prayer for the singer, as well as a moving tribute performed by Jennifer Hudson.

LL Cool J Opens Grammys with a Prayer for Whitney