Taylor Swift's momentous victory at the BMI Country Awards on Tuesday night (09Nov10) was tinged with sadness as the singer attended the funeral of a close friend just 24 hours beforehand.
The singer's pal Jeff Lang, from her adopted hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee, was found dead at his apartment last Tuesday (02Nov10).
The University of Tennessee student's cause of death is currently under investigation as police await toxicology reports.
Swift attended the 21 year old's funeral on Monday (08Nov10) and just 24 hours later, she took to the stage at the glitzy awards show in Nashville to pick up two prizes, and she used the opportunity to pay tribute to her late friend.
She told the crowd, "It's been a really emotional week... He was 21, and I used to play my songs for him first. So I would like to thank Jeff Lang."