USA: Britney Spears, Jennifer Hudson, and more A-list celebrities pay tribute to Whitney Houston at event honoring her memory

Record ID: 335371

  • Title: USA: Britney Spears, Jennifer Hudson, and more A-list celebrities pay tribute to Whitney Houston at event honoring her memory
  • Date: 13th October 2012
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 11, 2012) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) WIDE SHOT OF CARPET WITH SINGER BRITNEY SPEARS TALKING TO MEDIA SINGER CECE WINANS TALKING TO MEDIA BRITNEY SPEARS POSING FOR PHOTOS ACTRESS/SINGER JENNIFER HUDSON TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) SINGER BRITNEY SPEARS, SAYING: "She meant everything to me. she was th
  • Embargoed: 28th October 2012 12:00
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  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVASLZPAL6WA55PP1NGANHVOFJU
  • Story Text: Whitney Houston was given a final sendoff by the Grammys on Thursday (October 11) as Britney Spears, Jennifer Hudson, L.L. Cool J., Taraji P. Henson, and other stars shared their memories on a red carpet before a star-studded slate of performances paid homage to the late singer.
    The tribute comes towards the end of a year in which the music world was rocked by Houston's sudden death at age 48 in February. She was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on the night before the Grammy awards, from what authorities said was accidental drowning brought on by cocaine use and heart disease.
    Speaking to Reuters on the red carpet ahead of the show, singer and current "X-Factor" judge Britney Spears had this to say about Houston's influence on her as an artist:
    "She meant everything to me. she was the voice of just everything, and ever since I was a little girl, she is someone that I just worshipped the ground she walked on and I just idolized her in every which way, and I love her," says Spears.
    Actress and singer Jennifer Hudson was awarded a Grammy in 2009 for best R&B album of the year, for her self-titled album "Jennifer Hudson," and was handed her Grammy statue by Houston, which Hudson recalled fondly.
    "That was the greatest honor in the world to receive my first Grammy from Whitney Houston, just the Grammy period -- to me that outshined winning the Grammy. Getting it from Whitney Houston, one, it was a surprise and two, getting it from her was unbelievable." says Jennifer Hudson.
    "She was just my sister and friend and I just love her," said an upbeat Cece Winans, reflecting on Houston's legacy.
    The event was attended by Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown, who was joined by boyfriend Nick Gordon and sister-in-law Pat Houston. Neither walked the red carpet. Noticeably absent was Houston's mother, Cissy, and her brother Gary.
    An onstage honor to Houston was quickly put together at the Grammy awards in February with Jennifer Hudson singing a heart-felt rendition of "I Will Always Love You" on a stage lit by a single spotlight. Later in May, R&B star Jordin Sparks, who co-starred with Houston in the late singer's final movie "Sparkle," sang the same song at the Billboard Music Awards in tribute.
    In the tribute, which will be televised in November, There was no mention of Houston's turbulent personal life and history of drug abuse on Thursday as the Grammy organizers decided to focus on the late singer's career achievements and best-known performances, including her rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner" at the 1991 Superbowl.
    "I think her legacy would be her music," says Neil Portnow, the president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that hands out the Grammy Awards. "She has a one of a kind voice. She had the persona bigger than life. She recorded the best songs that had been written, and I think influenced a whole generation and will continue to do that forever."
    The one-hour CBS special will be aired on November 16.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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