weather to get into the club so theyould share their thoughts. what were your thoughts? >> couldn't believe it. i thought it was a joke when i saw it on facebook and i looked on google and it was true. >> you have been listening to her music forever a long time. >> i hoped it wasn't true. >> i like the body guard and the preacher's wife. those were my two favorite movies. it's sad that she's gone. >> you hope they play tribute it her in the clubs? >> i want them to play and i will always love you so i can sing along off key. that's my favorite song to sing. >> thank you very much for sharing your thoughts with us today and have fun out there tonight. everyone has whitney houston on their minds and they are hoping to hear her music in the clubs.

a lot of people are still in shock. >> a lot of people are. most are still in shock. thank you very much. i appreciate that. we couldn't believe it. we have been hearing about it for a while that she died for a few minutes and we were waiting on confirmation from her people and even when the words came out of my mouth when i uttered them on the air here, i am having a hard time now. 48 years old. go ahead. are you there? >> i was thinking about listening to you guys talking about your favorite music, favorite songs and things that she had accomplished in her career. do you remember when she saying the national anthem at the super bowl. >> it was amazing. she made it a hit. it was on billboard. they played it on the radio. it's odd.

things happen for a reason. the first "american idol." i forget her name right now. kelly clarkson. sorry, kelly. she saying the national anthem at the super bowl last weekend. weekend and i put it on my facebook page. >> i just thought about it. >> people would respond back saying she did a great job, but whitney houston did a great job, as well. and they would go back and forth sending me clips from whitney houston singing the national anthem. so you're right. >> reporter: it's just -- yeah, we had the same conversation at our house when we heard her singing. nobody could sing it as good as she did. what an incredible talent. she will so be missed and let's hope they pay tribute to her tomorrow night. >> thank you for bringing that up. piers morgan is standing by in los angeles.

piers, you know what i'm talking about. kelly clarkson has an amazing voice, but people often compare, when you do a song that someone else has done well, they compare you to the person who many will say did it better. but to be compared to whitney houston i'm sure is an honor to kelly clarkson having sung the national anthem a few days ago. >> don, i understand we have the great larry king, and i think that larry, you have with you jermaine jackson, is that right? >> i think we're going on now. >> larry, it's piers. can you hear me? >> i hear you fine. >> thanks for calling in. what is your reaction to the appallingly tragic death of whitney houston? >> well, it's a real tragedy, piers. in fact, are you coming to the party? >> no, i was supposed to be going, but i've come into cnn and we're just rolling with the breaking news. what is the mood there like, are you there? >> yeah, that's all everyone is talking about, piers. only talking about whitney

houston and the sadness. it's semi festive and semi -- it's almost cerebral. it's surreal. i've never been at a party like this. you know, her remains are still in this hotel and they haven't removed them yet. crowds are outside. the room is packed. the show is about to start. we understand tony bennett is going to sing a special tribute to her. it's just really sad, piers. as you said so often tonight. this is not supposed to happen to people this young. the only other comparison i make is to judy garland who had those ups and downs and died tragically t about the same age as whitney. >> that's very true. i was thinking just in the last two or three years, we've lost michael jackson, elizabeth taylor, whitney houston, etta james, amy winehouse, all in

different circumstances. but some really huge legendary stars, all dying in very difficult circumstances. >> you know what it teaches us, piers? that we're all here on borrowed time, aren't we? i think we should wake up in the morning and say thanks. >> yeah. larry, i think we have got jermaine jackson on the line, as well. are you there? >> yes, i'm here, piers. >> thank you so much for calling in. i know that you knew whitney well. how are you feeling tonight? it's been a real bombshell to everyone. no one was expecting this. >> yes. it's a tragedy for me. i woke up this morning, and i was getting ready to make my flight back to l.a. and i turned on cnn, which i watch cnn all

over the world and that's how i got the world. i'm just devastated because we go way back from the very beginning. my life with clive davis started right at the beverly hills hotel right where he is right now. after i was arranging my deal with him, he told me to put on my producer cap and he asked me if i could work with him on some songs and we got together and we produced stuff like that. nobody loves you like i do. just a lot of great songs and it's a tragedy. she was a voice that the world enjoyed hearing. and it's just very sad. >> obviously many people -- there's only a couple years

since the passing of your brother. people feeling that he was the king of pop, she was the queen of pop. both of them dead at early ages. did michael know whitney? >> yes, yes. they really did. whitney got a chance to come out to neverland and she told me she had a great time and michael said that she enjoyed herself, as well. and when michael passed, she called me and she was there for me saying to me, if you need anything, jackson, because she called me jackson, just call me and i'll be there for you. and she was very, very sweet. so this is very devastating for me, my family, the fans, and the word. because she was a voice that the world enjoyed very much. >> piers, i've got to run back in. great talking with you. i wish it was a better occasion. >> larry, thank you very much. >> thank you, you too, jermaine. with well.

>> jermaine, you did a duet with whitney, didn't you? >> several. several. we did a lot of music from the very beginning. >> tell the viewers about that, the songs and how it was working with her. >> just standing opposite of her in front of a mike known and hearing this talent from the very beginning. i think i worked with her when she was 19. >> well, just standing opposite of her in front of a microphone and hearing this talent from the very beginning. i think i worked with her when she was 19. and we did songs like, i was mentioning earlier, take good care of my heart, nobody loves you like i do. someone for me, don't look any furthd, and she did some backgrounds with me on a song i had, which was a number one record in russia, called sweetest sweetest. so we have been together since

the very beginning. our rives really started right there at the beverly hills hotel, i think it was bungalow b something, i was going there to be signed to arista after having sold so many years at motown with my ex-father in law, berry gordy, and we worked out a deal, and he asked if i could do something for this artist. that's when he put on the tape and it was whitney houston, and i said, why don't we do something like a marvin gaye, tammy terrell, and i would see her, and she would say, are you okay, jackson? i would say, i'm fine, are you okay? i wanted her to get back on the right track. i don't want to talk about the things that happened in her life on the downside of things because i think it's important. she had done so much good for the world with her music and her sales, and that's what the media

tends to do, tend to look at the negative things, but there's a lot of good, a lot of good. she inspired a lot of young females and male singers. we loved her, my family loved her. >> jermaine, if i could jump in, i wanted to ask you, again about the parallels of your brother michael, because both of them were the hugely famous, iconic entertainers. they both died around the same age, and both of them were exposed to ferocious media scrutiny and pressure. not just from the media, but from the public as well, for many, many years. do you think it's become almost impossible to lead any kind of normal life given the glare of modern media with the internet, with 24 hour news and so on. you saw her the first time with michael and friends of whitney have talked about it tonight. do you think it's becoming really, really difficult? >> yes, it is, because with twitter and facebook and all of the different ways of getting

information out there, there's not true, and people finding out about people's lives and the rumors spreading and all of the gossip shows and the tabloid hoopla, yes, but at the same time, when there's a young star, whether it's my brother or whitney, there's always a wall being built around them. that keeps family away, and in these trying times and these hours of despair, family should be there. and all of the time, family is not there because they're being kept away. i knew her mother very, very well. her brother, her father, and they seemed to be very, very close. when she first started. but i'm pretty sure just like with my brother, if the industry and the people they come, the ticks and parasites and people, and they surround themselves and want to become his mother, father, sister, her mother, fatherering sister, brother, and push the family away.

that has a lot to do with this because at the end, there's nothing more strong than family, and if you are close to your family, you can have a successful life on stage and offstage. exactly. >> a lot of people tonight on the internet and twitter and so on are saying that whitney's life really was in two parts. the time before she met bobby brown and the time after. do you think it's fair to blame bobby brown for a lot of the problems that she suffered? >> well, i heard things, and i saw things. i think when whitney did the 30th, my brother's show, she was very thin, and i was very much concerned, and i pulled her aside and i said, are you okay? and she said, yes, but see, we can only see and guess what's going on as far as bobby. i've always enjoyed bobby's talent, and we hear these things, so we don't know as to how much truth there was to the statements when they were put out there. but i will say that we're all accountable for our own actions.

and we can't say it was bobby. we can't say it was this, because at the end of the day, we're all adults. >> hey, jermaine. it was interesting because piers called -- your brother was the king of pop, and he said whitney was the queen of pop. i'm sure there was a friendly competition, i mean this in the best way, because i remember in the '80s and '90s, he was like, i got off the wall, and she was like, i got how will i know. and boom, boom, one after another, one number one hit after another. and they were happening in the '80s and '90s at the same time with whitney and your brother. >> i think your voice is cutting out.

i didn't catch the last part, but i will say, michael and whitney shared a lot of success during the '80s and they became friends. i'm very happy and proud and very honored that i got a chance to be a part of her life, to help create that world of success with clive davis and clive has been unbelievable with whitney and myself, and just having that vision. and we've already had a very solid relationship where we would say hi and really care about each other. i feel that she genuinely cared about me and my family. like i said, she called and phoned me when michael passed. she was very much concerned about how i was doing. so i was very happy that she had phoned during the time.

>> jermaine, if i could ask you, how good a singer technically, you're a great singer yourself, and you are the brother of one of the greatest singers in history. how good to you think from a technical point of view, whitney's voice was. to a lay man like me, it was unbelievable. but tell me about the voice. >> she was unbelievable. she was an artist who had a lot of influence from her mom. aretha franklin, a lot of the greats that were out there before her. but just being in the studio with her, i'll never forget when we were singing "if we say minds are beautiful" and standing on the opposite side of the microphone, i would do my part and she would do her part, and she would take a lyric and give it so much feeling and so much conviction and soul, and i was just mesmerized, even when she was 18, and we were doing music. and she was an incredible artist.

and voice. that was a gift. that's definitely a gift. and it was devastating to hear her tour later and then to not hear that voice as clear as it was from the very beginning. and we have to take care of our instrument, which is the voice. but she was an incredible artist, incredible singer. she could sing anything, piers, anything. >> do you think, jermaine, that the pressure of losing the quality of her voice was beginning to really bear down on her, because that's the sense that i'm getting from people who knew her well, is when you have had this astonishing peak to a voice, that if you start to lose it, it becomes a really, really awful thing to deal with? >> i really don't know, but i saw some of the concerts, some of the comments from the concerts she did in australia,

and the people were saying horrible things. they wanted their money back. but you have to give it to her. she went up there and she tried. and whether she was making a mockery of herself, she put forth the effort. and you have to give her the "a" for the effort. whether the voice was here or not, she showed up, did had show. but i could tell there was something wrong and something different because of, it takes a toll when you don't take care of the voice, the vocal chords. but she will always be remembered as the greatest female singer of all time, really. she was a voice for the world to enjoy. definitely. >> jermaine, we're hearing that bobby brown has performed in concert tonight. some reunion with new edition in which he did tell the crowd that he loved whitney houston. memphis tennessee, coming in now. >> memphis, tennessee, we're hearing that as well.

jermaine, are you still there? >> yes, i'm still there. >> it's interesting because sitting here talking to you on the air, just how the fans love your brother and love whitney houston. they're guiding me through the coverage here, and it's interesting. don, don't say michael jackson was the king of pop, he is the king of pop. you have to correct that. it's people still live your brother and they will always love whitney houston. here is the thing, i sat behind you in court just a couple months ago. and my heart just went out to your mom, and your mom and i kind of bonded, and we would share our nods and hellos every day in court, and you said you knew whitney for such a long time. her mother, i can't help but think about cissy houston, and you have a few words for her and for the family and what she's probably dealing with right now, having gone through it with your

mom? >> the last part of the question, i didn't catch, but you mentioned we were in court during the last trial, right? of my brother? >> yeah, and i was talking about cissy houston, having dealt with it yourself with your mother, have you reached out to her? can you tell the viewers what's on your mind when it comes to her and what she's possibly dealing with having dealt with it yourself? >> cissy was always nice to me, even from the very beginning. i can imagine what she's going through because we have been through it with my mother. and it's very tough to lose a child. and for you to outlive your child is very tough, but i will say i just woke up in istanbul and turned on cnn and saw what was going on with whitney, so i haven't had time to do anything but talk to you guys. i'm catching a plane back to the states. i'm just hoping that she stays strong and our hearts go out for

her mom and her brother gary and her father and all of her loved ones. it's very tough. it's very tough. you just -- this is when family is so important, when you pull together and you mourn together. we're still mourning for my brother. i mean, i was just with a bunch of the fans here yesterday, and just talking to them and giving them sort of a feeling of ease and signing pictures of michael and the brothers and the jackson 5 and myself, and now here is whitney. and it's just so much. it's so much. i mean, smoky said it best. we need to remember the good things about her. we need to learn from this as well. we just lost don cornelius, and it's just what we're going through in these times. >> jermaine, thank you. piers, stand by. piers morgan joining me in los angeles tonight with this coverage of the sad death of whitney houston, and piers, it's in mississippi, bobby brown is performing, south haven, mississippi.

you're quite correct, performing with new edition, and he paid tribute, as you said, to whitney houston tonight. stand by. we'll get to a quick break. we'll be back with continued coverage of the death of whitney houston. ♪ clock strikes upon the hour and the sun begins to fade ♪ ♪ still enough time to figure out how to take my blues away ♪ ♪

♪ i'm don lemon live at the cnn headquarters in atlanta. welcome to our viewers around the world. i'm here in atlanta. my colleague piers morgan is covering the story for us. he's in los angeles. tonight, and we have team coverage tonight. we want to start with kareen wynter. she's our entertainment correspondent. you have been getting reaction from people in the music industry tonight. >> i have, and i'll get to that in just a second, don. the party may be going on in beverly hills tonight with the clive davis party, but we're seeing stars pulling out, tweeting about it. sharon osbourne tweeted a short time ago that she's too devastating, too heart broken to

attend, and speaking of the big pregrammy events, the biggest party of all happening tonight, don. we were able to confirm that whitney houston was scheduled to attend. she wasn't going to perform there. she wasn't going to be attending the grammys at all, either, tomorrow, and really what is so tragic in all of this, and i know you and piers have been discussing is this is bobbi kristina is how she must be holding up in this time. my colleague was able to confirm that bobbi kristina may be here in l.a. they're not sure of her exact whereabouts but she's not doing well at this time. i had an interesting conversation with kenny lattimore. he hosted the party on thursday where whitney performed where people said she looked so comfortable, so beautiful on stage, and they were encouraging

her to go up and perform with mom, but she's stepping back, letting mom take the spotlight, but she was right there to see her mom perform for the last time, and quickly, i just want to get to a really, real a poignant comment. eddy luverd, who has known her for decades, i spoke with him, and he sums up what so many people are feeling at this hour and all of their shock over what happened. he said, don, there is now a hole in all of our souls. he told me a touching story. he's not in l.a., and he said, thank goodness i'm not there. i want to deal with this mourning from a distance. he's in atlanta right now, and he said whitney was here a few years ago, she actually attended one of his concerts, went backstage, and everyone knew her as this big over the top star, a diva. he said it was so -- couldn't be further from the truth. she was so down to earth and they really joked all night long in his dressing room, and that's the whitney that he wants to remember, and he wants to hold on to.

and that this is a game. he said this, don, this is a game with a lot of pressure. and this is one of the big pit falls we're seeing right now, the loss of a beloved entertainer. >> absolutely. don't go anywhere. i want to read this just coming into my e-mail, and we can talk about other folks who are sending their condolences. this is bishop td jakes saying we're saddened by the tragic and untimely passing of whitney houston whom we were blessed to have just completed work with the remake of her fame "sparkle." and then he goes on to say she has left behind a musical and film legacy that will endure. shesorely missed by us all. that's bishop td jakes sending that in. you're hearing from people there, and as you said, the gentleman said, i can't deal with it. i want to be in los angeles right now, i couldn't deal with it. it seems every time, it's always, because l.a., that time, the center, that's where the stars are all -- all are. and every time we have to deal

with a tragedy, we go to the same place pretty much, at the staples center, at the beverly hilton, and the same places where they have the memorials for the stars, and it's like, are we going to have to do this. there are pictures, live pictures of the staples center in los angeles, and the nokia theater right near there, where the grammys are going to be held and the grammy preparty they had tonight at the beverly hilton hotel, hosted by clive davis. we heard from tony bennett. we saw some video from him earlier, his statement on camera, and behind him, i saw gladys knight, who was next in line to be interviewed and talk about whitney houston as well. another diva, another star, and i'm sure her hard is breaking as well. >> you really said it best, don, it's so fresh because of what

you mentioned. it seems like this just happened, and it really did with don cornelius, another big legend in the music industry passing, and people are still trying to heal from that, trying to grapple with the huge loss, and it's really going to change the tone of tomorrow's grammys. you can just imagine what producers are scrambling to put together now behind the scenes because it is, don, an event where you do celebrate music. you do celebrate the best and brightest, but this is going to be undoubtedly toned down now given the nature of what's happened. >> yeah, yeah, absolutely. and of course, that's what's happening on the west coast. thank you very much, kareen wynter. but whitney houston is an east coaster. from newark, new jersey. earlier, the mayor of newark released a statement sending his condolences as well. let's go to piers morgan. are you there? >> yeah, i am. and i don't know if we had this already tonight, but a really moving tweet from bette midler,

sort of a repeat. little by little, these deaths kill the best part of each of us, the awe and joy we feel when we hear a gift that can only come from god. i think that's something that has resonated throughout all of the interviews we have done tonight. people do feel that whitney houston had this god-given talent. there's a sense tonight that we have lost something very, very special. we're going to go to our cnn correspondent in new, new jersey at the church with whitney houston attended. i think they're planning a special event in her memory. is that right? >> absolutely. i think you said it exactly right. a god-given talent. that's exactly what whitney houston had here in newark, new jersey, we're out front of the new hope baptist church. if you can recall from videos, some know it well of whitdny houston as a young girl singing here, her hair back in a ponytail, people looking back at that fondly tonight. this is a place where whitney

houston began her career, and it's a place that is very much still a part of the houston family. i spoke tonight extensively with pastor joe carter outside of the church who issued a statement just a short while ago. and he told me that whitney's mother cissy is still very much a part of the church. she was actually a choir director here for 54 years, and i asked him, what is the relationship now between the houston family and this church. he said, it is, quote, inseparable. starting tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m., they'll have a service in whitney's memory, and he'll be preaching throughout the day with, quote, a heavy heart. a god-given talent, and you'll see people coming into the church and coming very, very early in the morning to pay honor to whitney houston. >> yeah, and she began life as a gospel singer, and the church is very important to her, so i'm sure that her family will be

really important. poppy, thank you very much indeed. we'll be back after a short break with more on the devastating breaking news of the death of whitney houston at the age of 48. ♪ after giving it my all ♪ winter storm has come ♪ after all that i've been through who can i turn to ♪ ♪ i look to you ♪ i look to you ♪ after all my strength is gone and you i can be strong ♪ ♪ i look to you

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♪ >> watching cnn, breaking news of whitney houston's death at the age of 48. her body was found at the beverly hilton hotel in los angeles. and we're going to go straight there to join jane velez-mitchell and michelle kerner. clive davis is hosting what was supposed to be a celebration, a pregrammy party, but it has turned into something of a wake. jane, tell me what's going on there. >> well, it's surreal and emotional. piers, behind me, there are fans singing a medley of whitney houston songs in tribute to her. this has just happened spontaneously. it's been happening throughout the night. meanwhile, the party you

referred to, the clive davis pregrammy party. it's happening a stone's throw there. we hear music emanated from the beverly hilton, and michelle turner has returned from the red carpet, stars going into the party. it's surreal, it's odd that this party is happening. at the very hotel where whitney houston was found dead. >> right, and that's kind of the sentiment that was on the red carpet tonight. most of the celebrities i spoke with going to the party said this was very odd. it's a very solemn red carpet. all of the talk was about whitney houston. no other talk, period. and most people said they're just having trouble digesting it all, jane. one of the things when i spoke with gladys knight, she was so broken up. a tribute to her. this happened spontaneously and happening through the night. the party you refer to, the clyde davis pregrammy party is happening a stone's throw there.

we hear music from the beverly hilton and michelle turner has just returned from the red >> that's what the fans say. i don't know if you can hear them, but they continue to sing as we speak. people talked about her national anthem. we are trying to walk over there. we have got a bit of a chorus, but let's go as far as we can. we will step over. this is about as far as we can. we will put the mike out and see if we can hear it. >> you can hear it loud and clear. very moving. it is a very surreal situation. larry king called in to say there was only one conversation. he made the point that he believed that whitney houston's

body was still in the hotel. you have a situation of whitney's body being in the several hilton and this party going on it. must be very, very strange down there. >> it's bizarre because at the service entrance, the paparazzi are gather and there is a detective's vehicle and a coroner's style vehicle surrounded it and they are waiting. there were three different worlds. the party with the glamour and the fans singing and the paparazzi hovering around where they think for all we know the body is still there. the police said they can't release the information. >> we covered so many death investigations. when there is a death investigation, the body being here is not all that odd. she was reported around 3:55 and it's 9:30.

doing an investigation is going to take a lot of time. that really is not weird. >> it's odd that there is a party going on at the same time and that people are -- we just heard jennifer hudson is performing a tribute at the grammys and you had fascinating things to say about that. for all years, they have never been light. this year they are light. >> the producers were saying earlier in the day they went into the show 2 1/2 minutes light that never happened. it was odd they were going into the show light anyway. then this happened and they decided we have to do a lot of restructuring. earlier we were told it looked like jennifer hudson would be performing and now it is confirmed. one of the things is whitney houston was her musical idol. her most proud moment was when she received her grammy from whitney houston. she said that made her so emotional. it was right after her family

passed away. that was amazing to her. >> if i can jump in. >> yes. >> if i can jump in, if he had jennifer hudson yesterday in the studio, she talked exactly about that moment when she was presented by her grammy by whitney houston and the moving story of how she was a young 7 orit-year-old, she used to pretend doing duets with whitney houston. he was hero worship. for her to sing a tribute to whit me at the grammys and an already emotional event will be an incredibly moving thing and i think that everywhere is going to be watching the grammys. everyone will be paying tribute. you have this event tonight and the only subject of conversation is whitney houston. this reminds me of the death of michael jackson. he was the king of pop and i

will say it again. to me she was the queen of pop. it's a das operately sad day for music and everyone who knee and loved her music. >> what's interesting is when michael jackson died, there was an extraordinary effort to resuscitate him and it was hours before he was formally pro nounsed dead. it's striking how fast this all happened today here. i think it's interesting and it may reveal about what happened. they were able to pronounce her dead so quickly. >> one of the other things -- >> continue. i was going to say i have a home not far away from where this event is going on tonight. the first i knew, i was going to go down to this event at the inviting a of clyde davis and heard all these helicopters and a lot of activity around the beverly hilton and then the reports that whit me houston had died.

inviting a of clyde davis and heard all these helicopters and a lot of activity around the beverly hilton and then the reports that whit me houston had died. she was due to go there tonight and maybe would have performed. the grammys tomorrow. it's really an extraordinary set of circumstances. people down there i would imagine are reeling from the shock. >> absolutely. one of the people that i spoke with tonight on the red carpet was the x factor, usa winner who was literally sobbing to me tonight. she said number one, whitney was her idol and just met her for the first time three days ago. she ran into her at the doctor's office by happen stance at the throat doctor.

they met each other and said whitney told her keep the torch going. she seemed fine, but it just hospital sunk in to her. kelly rowland could not do introduce. it has been odd. >> you were seeing footage of clyde davis arriving at the beverly hilton. an incredibly difficult night for clive davis, one of the great legends of the music business. he gave me a great interview and talking about whit me houston. how he has gone ahead. i imagine of all the places he wished to be, to be surrounded by people who love whitney houston and her music. the cream of the industry is down there tonight.

i imagine he thinks that's the best place he could be. i am sure there will be a night of tributes and memories. an extraordinary occasion. >> it's not just the stars. i spoke with a woman who did the demo tracks and they do have a lesser known singer who do the song first and then the star comes in and listens and copies it. she did the demo tracks. for her, this person was a deity. she was devastated. it's the stars and the little people struggling to make it who look up to whitney as one who did make it from their ranks. >> one of the things you mentioned is we saw video of clide davis arriving. it was poignant because the image we usually see is with whitney houston on his arm. that picture is pretty hard for people to take and see.

>> in hollywood, it occurs to me a roomful of script writers couldn't come up with something as dramatic and tragic and surreal as this. piers? >> it's true and the end of it, you are left just with this shocking news that whitney houston, one of the greatest singers in history has died at the age of 48. we will take a commercial break and hear more of whitney singing and be back with more of this terrible story after this break. ♪ ♪

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♪ we are remembering whitney houston tonight, dead at the age

of 48. the singer found in a beverly hills hotel room. if you would like to remember whitney houston, go to remembering whitney houston on cnn.com/ireport. people are sharing their memories of late singer. i can't believe i'm saying that. i just tweeted it out. a beautiful picture and i put it on my page as well of whitney houston and it's from her facebook page. we are remembering the singer tonight. interesting that people are weighing in and talking about the great songs of whitney houston and what i find is that when you have talent, there is nothing that is higher than that. nothing trumps that. whitney houston had two songs that became number that sat at the top. both were remakes. the greatest love of all was a remake from george benson from 1977. how many people tharm version? most people associate that song with whitney houston.

the same for i will always love you which was a dolly parton song and she made it number one. when you are talented, you are talented, no two ways about it. at the staples center, people ever paying tribute there tonight. what are you hearing? >> what i am hearing is how floored people were when the announcement came. they were in rehearsals. it's an important night the saturday before the grammys. they work hard putting on the best show they can. when the word came, the energy was sucked out of the room. it was stone cold quiet. someone said they saw rihanna walking around very, very somber and quiet. they are preparing for the show and it will go on. a forever for chris brown and others is attending the show.

the music business is a tough business. express to us the level of respect that whit me houston had with her peers. >> she had an effect on people young and old. not a person that didn't like her through the ups and downs. she was a great inspiration to all and a tree legend has been taken from us today. >> when you take your seat tomorrow night and they remember whitney, what is going to go through your mind emotionally? it will be a tough moment. >> it definitely will. the beautiful voice. there has never been a voice as eloquent and beautiful as whitney houston. list only one whitney houston. the room will definitely be filled with emotion and compassion. it will be a beautiful evening tomorrow night.

>> appreciate it. there you have it. for these people who will be part of the event, they want to make sure whitney is honored, but a lot of people are choked up and we are talking to ken ehrlich, the executive producer who said i can't believe in a sense i am doing this again. as you know, he produced michael jackson's memorial service behind us at staples. >> i was there with you. piers morgan in los angeles tonight, i don't want people to get me wrong. she had more than two number one songs, but two they know of were remakes that she made her own. you have to think about it when you say the greatest love of all, that was a george benson song that was popular in the day and whitney houston redid the song and the same with i will always love you, a dolly parton song. that was her song and whitney houston made her own. know incredible talent.

>> you and i are the same age. you are 45 and i'm 46. we have grown up with whitney houston. i look at the twitter feed, you can see from all over the world, people of our age and anyone younger and older. i feel like part of my is gone because her music is so synonymous with all the parties you go to and at dinner people would put on whitney houston songs. "america's got talent" for years were endless contestants who played her music. the idea that whitney houston is no longer with us at 48 is incredibly sad. i think although there will be as we keep saying the speculation about what led to her death, i know a lot of

going-over the issues and the problems she had, it was appropriate for us to focus on the incredible talent and the amazing voice and the fact that whitney houston was one of the greatest singers the world has seen. >> well said, piers morgan. we will listen to some of her memorable songs after this quick break.

well, whitney houston has passed. 48 years old.

we can hardly believe it. another testament to her talent. in the break you forgot about i'm every woman that was a chaka khan song that she took to number one. as you know when you have talent and a voice nothing else trumps that. you can do anything and you will have success. >> as we say, endless raking over her life. in the end, whitney houston's legacy is this voice. she can hit notes that i don't think anybody has been able to watch for sheer power and range and the title hold them. you listen to i will always love you. there aren't many people that can sing like that. the great testament to whitney houston should be this voice that as many people tonight have said was the voice of an angel. it would be right for us to

leave the viewers tonight after hours now as moving coverage with the voice. >> we will always love you, whitney. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the breaking news that is ♪ ♪ ♪

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