Here Are All the MusiCares Person of the Year Honorees

MusiCares announced on Tuesday (Oct. 21) that Mariah Carey will be honored as the 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year. The annual benefit gala will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, two nights before the 68th Annual Grammy Awards at the adjoining Crypto.com Arena.

At 56, Carey will become the youngest person of the year honoree since Sting received the honor at age 52 in 2004 — and the youngest woman to receive the honor since Gloria Estefan, who was just 36 when she received the honor in 1994.

Related

Mariah Carey Named 2026 MusiCares Person of the Year: ‘Her Voice Has Shaped the Sound of Our Times’

This will be MusiCares’ 35th benefit gala. (The event wasn’t held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.) The gala has raised millions to support MusiCares’ programs, including health and wellness services, addiction recovery, preventive care, disaster relief, and emergency support for music professionals.

The first Person of the Year gala (honoring David Crosby) was held in 1991, two days before the 33rd annual Grammy Awards ceremony at which Carey won her first two Grammys – best new artist and best pop vocal performance, female for breakthrough smash, “Vision of Love.”

“We are honored to recognize Mariah Carey as this year’s MusiCares Person of the Year, a true creative force and once-in-a-generation talent,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares, said in a statement. “Her artistry and her voice have helped shape the sound of our times. We look forward to celebrating her remarkable career on this very special night.”

Here are all of the person of the year honorees to date, shown in reverse chronological order. All years refer to the year the person of the year event was held and the year of the corresponding Grammy telecast.