Lenny Kravitz Honors Late Mom Roxie Roker as He Accepts MTV VMAs Win: 'I Dedicate This to Her'

Kravitz brought his actress mom as his date to the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards

Lenny Kravitz arrives to attend the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on September 11, 2024.
Lenny Kravitz at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 11. Photo:

Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty

Lenny Kravitz celebrated his win at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards with a special shout-out to his beloved late mother.

Kravitz, 60, won best rock at this year’s ceremony for his song “Human,” and dedicated the honor to his mother Roxie Roker, who died of cancer in 1995 at age 66.

“Wow. This is incredible. I am so grateful. Thirty-one years ago, my mother was with me at an award show, was at the VMAs, so I dedicate this to her,” he said in a preshow interview on MTV. “I thank God for this journey, this incredible journey. I thank Jesus for life.”

Lenny Kravitz 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Arrivals, Elmont, New York, USA - 11 Sep 2024
Lenny Kravitz at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards in New York.

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

The rocker, who wrote in his 2020 memoir Let Love Rule that he “was a mama’s boy,” brought Roker as his date to the 1993 MTV Video Awards. She was best known for playing Helen Willis on the classic sitcom The Jeffersons.

Kravitz — who is set to perform later in the night — went on to thank his manager, publicist and more, including director Joseph Kahn, who helmed the “Human” video.

Last week, Kravitz recounted sharing that 1993 moment with his mom on social media. "Having my beautiful mother by my side at my first #VMAs 31 years ago is a moment I will always cherish," Kravitz wrote alongside footage from those VMAs. "I’m looking forward to taking the stage all these years later where she will be in my heart."

Check out all of PEOPLE's full MTV VMAs coverage here.

The musician is set to launch his Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in October, and will play five nights of what he told PEOPLE will be a “celebration of life, music, love, of rock ‘n’ roll.”

lenny kravitz and mom
Lenny Kravitz and his mom Roxie Roker at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards. Vinnie Zuffante/getty

“We've been on tour. We started this summer in Europe, so this show is together,” he said in the preshow interview, Wednesday. “We're there to amplify love. We're there to exchange energy with the audience. It's very free. And it's all about the energy and the exchange of love. And all the hits!”

Kravitz released his most recent album, Blue Electric Light, in May, and said at the VMAs that his artistry is like that of a painter.

“I play whatever I have to play. I Play all the instruments on most of the songs, then Craig Ross also plays guitar on a few songs,” he said. “That's the way I've always done it. I feel like I paint; I'm a painter. I paint with sound ... I had great examples like Stevie Wonder and Prince, so that's the school that I come from.”

The 2024 MTV VMAs air on Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET/ PT live from the UBS Arena in New York.

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