isn't she someone that would warrant that sort of celebration memorial? >> if you look at the tremendous outpouring and from where it is coming from, from people like aretha franklin, smoky robinson, quincy jones, jessica simpson, mariah carey, not only influenced an entire generation of singers, but she inspired an elder generation, made them think they passed on the baton the likes of aretha franklin and dionne warwick, and felt the music was safe in her hands and it was for many, many years. >> do you think she's going to be remembered as one of the biggest stars ever of our generation? >> i think she will be remembered as not only one of the biggest stars of our generation, one of music's best stars ever, one of the most amazing voices to have graced the music world, absolutely. >> we want to remind viewers tuning in, it is the top of the hour. we are covering the tragedy, breaking news out of los angeles

tonight. whitney houston, the pop star, superstar dead at the age of 48. her body was found just hours ago in the beverly hilton. you're looking at aerial shots of the beverly hilton. she was actually in los angeles to attend an event hosted by the man that discovered her, her mentor, clive davis. we understand that party is still going on. i want to go to gina kim for the latest in los angeles. >> page, a couple things are happening at the beverly hilton now. one, detectives are swarming all over the place, lots of cop cars over there investigating her death. her body is still in that hotel room where she was discovered earlier this afternoon pacific time. the other thing that's happening is all of these stars are converging at the hotel now because clive davis, whitney houston's mentor, and the man who basically found her, discovered her talent, is hosting a huge pre-grammy party. he does this every single year.

whitney houston was supposed to be one of the stars of the show, and instead of cancelling the event, he is going ahead with it. we just had a videographer give us photos or video of clive davis hugging alicia keyes as they were arriving to the hotel. in all, we are expecting upwards of nearly 100 r and b stars, who's who in the music industry coming to the beverly hilton. originally they said this gala would be cancelled in light of the news and location being tied to where she was found dead earlier today, but now we're told no, it's going to turn into a grieving session, a hugging session, a place where they're going to pay tribute to whitney houston. what we know from the beverly hills police department is that she was declared dead at 3:55 pacific time this afternoon. so about four hours ago. her body was discovered shortly after 3:00 this afternoon. and we're told it was by her bodyguard, discovered her in her hotel room, unresponsive.

it was unclear how long she had been expired. all attempts by paramedics and bystanders to resuscitate her failed, so she was declared dead. now, they say there are no obvious signs of criminal intent, we have been saying that all evening or foul play, that has not changed. they don't have any signs of drugs which was the first thing detectives and, you know, frankly the public had probably expected or suspected i should say. the cause of the death is unknown, and it will probably stay that way for awhile. the coroner's office has to receive her body, then they have to do a battery of tests that take weeks sometimes for results to come back, and it's not known what led up to her death. last time she was seen in public was at a club in the past two days where she sang a song. she looked good on stage, there's video of it floating online now. who knows what led to this discovery this afternoon. now, tomorrow is the big

question. you were just talking about how everyone is scrambling to try to find out what they're going to do on music's biggest night, which is also happening in los angeles, which is why whitney houston was in town and why almost every music star in the world is in town right now for this awards ceremony at the staples center, and i'm sure the lineup is going to change. certainly the mood is going to change. at tonight's party, there will be prayer services in los angeles area, ame churches tomorrow, and to top it off, we are awaiting more information from the beverly hills police department who is expected to give us another update before the night is over, page. >> gina, didn't you also tell us earlier her body has not left the hilton? >> yes. and that's very typical, you know, even though it has been so long since her body was discovered. police still have to do a very thorough investigation, and they have to collect all the evidence

at the scene, and usually they don't even call the coroner's office until hours after they have been there because they just can't have anything out of place as they're doing the investigation. and we did confirm with the coroner's office they haven't yet received the body, so it is still in her hotel room. >> i imagine a lot of fans are heading to the hotel. have they cordoned off sections of it? >> all the video we have seen so far shows the driveway, the valet area to the beverly hilton remains open. lots and lots of limousines and rolls royces heading in there now. i don't think they would be able to cordon it off because of all of the people. we are told fans are converging on the sidewalks outside the hotel, in and around the hotel. despite all of the police activity happening there, they are unable to report from a public area. there's a huge event there tonight. >> what's this event that's

still going on, clive davis' pre-grammy party, is this a huge event, are there thousands of people there, or a couple hundred superstars? what is it? >> we are told the guest list is more like 80 people. it is a small, intimate affair, but features the biggest names, i already told you, alicia keyes was there, quincy jones was supposed to be there, cee lo green, the list goes on and on, and it is really the who's who of r and b and possible combined, all friends and mentees of clive davis, and whitney was supposed to be a huge part of that. he said to media outlets he was going to convince her to sing before the night was over, so it could have possibly included a performance from her, but obviously this is no longer a party. this is going to be definitely a mourning session tonight over there. >> you're right. how ironic. i read some of the reports yesterday that she was going to sing, he was convincing her to

sing. it is laden with so much irony. we will get back to you in a moment. i want to go to chris witherspoon. what are you hearing? >> hearing a lot of the same information about whitney's death, and we're still in shock and mourning over it. i think what's amazing is that for the past 20 years, whitney hasn't been the whitney we knew in the '90s. i am watching the footage, seeing great performances, but i think she has been on a downward spiral and she is known more for her personal life than performance and vocal abilities any more. >> that's something we've all been talking about, that her personal life sort of became front and center when she married bobby brown, sort of the curtain was lifted as somebody said, this pristine image was sort of shattered in our minds. >> yeah. i mean, we still know her as the voice, and i think people bringing her to functions, wanting her to sing. but at the end of the day, whitney is known more for -- as

of late, known more for her bad girl image, not the pop princess she started as in the 1980s. >> do you think she would have been able to stage a come back? >> i think she could stage a come back on screen, not so much vocally. her voice was damaged beyond repair, clear that voice was gone. she had this film coming out she produced and starred in, she still had a presence, still had box office appeal, but in terms of vocal ability, a come back for her vocally wasn't medically possible. >> was there a lot of buzz about this movie "sparkle"? >> i think so. we hadn't seen her on screen since "the preacher's wife." she had a great presence on camera, and just her star power in the film, cee lo green was going to be in it, jordan sparks, and whitney houston, i think she was going to be in it and starring continue was going to be a big buzz.

>> what kind of movie was it, can you tell us about it? >> it was about an up and coming aspiring vocalist in detroit. this was going to be a remake or is a remake of that film. i think it takes place in the '70s in detroit as well, it was a modern retelling of that story with new, modern actors like whitney houston and jordan sparks. >> what do we know about her personal life recently? >> recently she had been dating r&b singer ray j, brandy's brother. she has been dating him. he is a lot younger than her. i think a lot of her association with him was to gain back that presence and gain back that paparazzi appeal. she was seen leaving clubs recently with ray-j. i think in my opinion, we're going to attempt to be relevant, to be seen and photographed, not so much a love interest, but i could be wrong. that's what it seemed from the outside looking in. >> do you think that a lot of

what happened to her was mis -- on her part, mismanagement of her pr, personal pr, because once she married him, she sort of let everybody into their lives? >> i think it was just the fact that whitney hadn't had a lot of real life experience. clive davis found her when she was so i don't think, she shot to notoriety before actually having lived on her own, been from out of under her gospel roots with her mother, so it was mismanagement of pr, but it was also whitney learning how to be a woman. she got attached with bobby brown who was a bad boy at the time, and she was attracted to that, i think she took that and ran with it, it became bad for her, it became her poison. >> reverend sharpton was making a point he felt every time she would come back and sort of recover, clean up her act that the media was sort of waiting for her to fail again, there would be reports she was seen drinking, oh, that kind of hyper coverage, waiting for her to

fail again. do you think that was true? >> i think it was true. whitney was mysterious. she never was honest with the media, she said she wasn't doing drugs, crack was whack, then we find in 2009 interviewed by oprah, she comes on, said she was doing drugs. i think people were waiting for her to fail, but they wanted her to be more honest. they wanted to know what was wrong with whitney. why are we seeing her out and about, making sporadic, you know, incoherent comments and looking disheveled. we later learned it was drugs, it was alcohol use. she talked on oprah that she spent so much money on drugs, she can't even recall how much she spent through the years. >> unbelievable. >> i think the public just wanted to know what was up with whitney all those years. >> you think the public would have responded to more honesty? >> they would have responded to that and i think they would have helped her instead of like al sharpton said looking for her to

fall on her face. >> do you think she was still relevant? clive davis was going to have her sing a solo tonight. >> i think she was. i think people were waiting for her to wow us again with her vocal ability, but if you look back at the videos circulating now from two days ago when she did sing, she looked okay, but her voice was gone. her voice was scratchy, it was several objecting tiffs lower. she was struggling to get the low notes out. her voice has left her or had left her. i think people were waiting for her to come back, show a positive image of herself once again. and this film that's coming out soon might just do that for her. >> chris, thanks so much. we'll check back with you in a few moments. want to go to katie outside the beverly hilton. what are you seeing? >> reporter: a hectic scene and that's putting it mildly. helicopters are hovering

overhead. paparazzi completely surrounded the hotel. i'll let you see what's going on across the street. that's where the majority of news media is, lookie loos, people are holding cameras, recounting their favorite whitney houston memories, people trying to figure out exactly what's going on. this is on top of a pre-grammy party clive davis is having in the hotel. there's a red carpet within the hotel. there are people in ball gowns and tuxedos. that event is still going on. that's the event she was in town for. she was expected to appear tonight. some were speculating she might have been singing there tonight. that's in addition to the crime scene investigators, rescue workers, medical examiner, and the beverly hills police department. they are all still here. what we know so far is that somebody in whitney's entourage called the hotel at 3:43 this afternoon, they did not call

911. the hotel called 911, and the fire department was able to respond in three minutes. they were upstairs at 3:46. already on stand by at the hilton for the clive davis event. miss houston, though, was not responsive and was pronounced dead in her hotel room at 3:55 this afternoon. the question as everybody has been talking about, the question you have been asking is whether or not drugs or alcohol played a part. beverly hills police department said as of now there's no signs of any obvious foul play, but they refused to comment on whether or not they found drugs or alcohol or pills or any sort of paraphernalia in the hotel room. they say it is still too early on in the investigation. now, whitney's body is still inside at the moment. there's a lot of talk on how they'll be able to get it out of the hotel since it is so busy, there's the party, people are surrounding it, news media is here. in the past when events like this happened in los angeles, they have been able to sneak people out through garages or back doors.

this entire hotel is surrounded. people know where the entrance and exits are and now there's talk whether or not the beverly hilton will utilize the helipad, and they could take the body out by helicopter. that's the latest from beverly hills, back to you. >> tell us one thing, katy, we are looking at you, see the paparazzi across the street behind you, we are getting reports there are throngs of mourners. where are they? >> they are surrounding all areas of the hotel. the front entrance to the beverly hilton is still open. there are still cars going in and out, still people that are gathered. there's a number of entrances to the hotel. a number of mourners are back there, they have candles, are singing songs. the scene is growing. people are standing outside here, there are cars stopping on the street. it's hectic to say the least. >> sort of taking on that whole sense of a memorial.

>> reporter: that's what happens in los angeles a lot when celebrities die. people start to gather where the person passed. it happened on sunset boulevard with river phoenix many years ago. people want to go, see what's going on, happened with michael jackson last year, and that's just generally how people mourn. they heart news, they go to the scene, everyone recalls their favorite memories, have candles, and generally start to pay their respects. >> it surprises me, you said the hotel fronttrance is still open. i would think that's a security risk. >> reporter: we have been asking why is the party still going on. i couldn't tell you why. beverly hills police department didn't say whether someone asked for the party to stop. they have no say in it, it is a private event. the event is still going on. there was red carpet. i imagine they're giving favorite whitney houston memories and paying condolences.

there's security there. you have to be an invited guest to get in, but it is a big, long driveway, and people are walking up and down it. it is surprising, it is almost as if it is normal on the other side, as if they're having a big party, and not as if there's crime scene investigation going on on the fourth floor. >> that's surprising that it is so accessible. >> it is surprising. there's a car they are trying to give away, lit up with flashing lights in the driveway. there are people dressed to the nines in ball gowns, teens here with parents, lucky enough to get an invite to this clive davis event. it is odd. it is one of the weirder scenes i have experienced. usually when somebody dies, you get the people coming and making signs, holding candles, don't get parties going on at the same time or people dressed up for

parties and still attending. there were report of limos being turned away. we know last i was told 20 minutes ago, the party is still going on. >> incredible. can you tell us how many mourners would you guess are gathered there so far? >> reporter: you know, it is growing. ebbing and flowing. i think a hundred, probably around there throughout the entire hotel. >> katy tur standing outside the beverly hilton. whitney houston, superstar, dead at the age of 48. want to read some of the quotes coming in. aretha franklin says i just can't talk about it now, it is so stunning and unbelievable. i couldn't believe what i was reading coming across the tv screen. my heart goes out to cissy, her daughter bobbi kris.

we heard from smoky robinson. i have known whitney since she was a little girl. she was like family to me, i will miss her. and whitney houston called herself a girl from newark, born and raised into the houston family, full of gospel singers. there's a statement coming out of newark from mayor cory booker, and he said a legend has died, as the world mourns the loss of one of the all-time greats, we in newark feel an especially deep sadness. she went from a newark church to the global stage, but will always remain a deep pride and part of our collective heart. she will be missed. our prayers are with her family. that's from cory booker. stay with us. we have a live report coming up from newark where whitney houston was born and raised where it all started as we continue following this breaking tragedy out of los angeles tonight. the death of whitney houston at the age of 48. keep it here on msnbc. we'll be right back.

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welcome back, i'm page this is msnbc's coverage of breaking news. the death of whitney houston at the age of 48. i want to go where it all began for whitney houston. newark, new jersey, where andrew

sip is outside new hope baptist church. andrew? >> reporter: page, good evening. the roots for whitney houston and her entire family in the words of the pastor, very, very deep. pastor joe carter told me he has been with the church 19 years. whitney houston's mother, cissy houston, gospel singer, has been affiliated with this church for 54 years. no surprise people around the area said that tonight the news hit them hard. >> there will never be another whitney. everybody follows her footsteps. >> reporter: charlene shar eve was one of the residents compelled to visit the new hope baptist church tonight. this is a church whereas a young girl, whitney stunned the congregation with a powerful voice. ♪ i hope life treats you kind >> reporter: a voice that became so famous, everyone from

whitney's old neighborhood can now feel the absence. >> i am devastated. she was definitely a superstar, you know, to have seen her, you know, come from her background and, you know, wind up in this way, like a lot of the other stars, michael jackson and rick james and all of them, you know, it's really sad. >> this is public pain, but the grief is very personal. >> reporter: pastor joe carter is already getting ready for a 6:30 a.m. service. he's known the family for 19 years, and they are the focus of his sunday prayers. >> right now, our concern is for the family, for her daughter, her mother, her entire family and for the church in this hour grieving along with them. >> reporter: pastor carter said he will be working through the night, page, on the special prayer service dedicated to whitney houston tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m. some of the older members of the

congregation might be able to remember the moment from 1974 when ten-year-old whitney houston stood up and sang and the people that heard that voice that night knew there was something powerful in the walls of this church. that will likely be discussed tomorrow and in the days and weeks ahead. page? >> imagine to have heard that. can you tell us, andrew, is that church still a place where the houstons go to worship? >> reporter: it is. the pastor said that cissy houston has been affiliated here not only for 54 years, but remains an active member. we don't know the last time she was here, but we're told she's a faithful worshipper here, and that she's likely to show up here at some point in the near future. it's certainly a place that remains very central to the family's history and to all that they have been about with their new jersey roots. >> do they still live in that area? >> reporter: her mother does, and there are other relatives that live in new jersey, and

cory booker, the mayor of newark referred to whitney houston as a daughter of new jersey. you'll recall that years later when she married bobby brown, they lived in a five acre estate in mendem township, about 30 miles from here. they retained new jersey roots, were embraced by the community through the ups and downs of their marriage and throughout whitney houston's singing career. >> amazing. andrew siff reporting from new hope baptist church from new jersey where it all began for whitney houston. again, tonight, we are following the breaking tragedy out of los angeles. superstar whitney houston found dead in the beverly hilton at the age of 48. she was supposed to attend the event tonight given by clive davis, pre-grammy party where it was rumored she was going to stand up and sing, that's what clive davis was telling the press, he convinced her to stand up and sing and this is a tragedy laden with irony.

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welcome back. i'm page hopkins. you're watching msnbc and our coverage of a breaking story out of los angeles tonight. a tragedy, whitney houston, superstar, whitney houston dead at the age of 48. a lot of questions swirling around this tonight. a lot of people in disbelief. of course, this on the eve of the grammys. tonight she was actually supposed to go to an event hosted by clive davis, the man that discovered her when she was 16 years old, really launched her. she was supposed to sing at his party tonight. let's go to gina kim in los angeles. what's the latest? >> reporter: page, as you're saying, it is so shocking, it really resonates with me and with the newsroom in los angeles because about three and a half hours ago, the news broke in the newsroom, and everyone was so shocked, it reminded me of when michael jackson's death was

announced and all the news started trickling in in 2010. as for what's the latest, all the activity now is happening at the beverly hilton hotel in beverly hills. all of the police detectives from the beverly hills police department are there, i shouldn't say all, a lot of detectives from beverly hills police department are there, still continuing their investigation four and a half hours after singer whitney houston was pronounced dead in her hotel room at the hotel. lieutenant mark rosen of the beverly hills police department did a quick interview where he described what he found when detectives arrived on scene. >> beverly hills police department about 3:43 p.m. this afternoon, it was a request for medical assistance. we dispatched police officers and the fire department. the fire department was already on scene for the pre-grammy party, so they responded up with hotel security. they found miss houston unresponsive in her hotel room. they attempted to start resuscitation measures. they were not successful,

unfortunately, and at 3:55 p.m. approximately she was pronounced dead in her hotel room. >> as we have been saying all evening, police have found no signs of foul play. no signs of drugs being involved, but obviously many, many tests have to be done before cause of death is determined. they haven't released any preliminary information about what cause of death might be. we have photos from the last time whitney houston was seen publicly, that was at the true nightclub in hollywood a couple of nights ago where she was attending another pre-grammy event. during the singing portion she looked okay, but according to photos plastered all over the internet, she does appear a little disheveled, a little tipsy, a little drowsy, and long before today, people were commenting she didn't quite look herself, quite look 100%. obviously we don't know what led

up to her death today because that was photos from a day and a half ago, but yes, as you were saying, she was supposed to -- and preparing for a huge event happening tonight with her mentor and the man who basically made her career, clive davis. as many as about 80 performers, r&b stars, the who's who of hollywood and the music world are at the beverly hilton right now for this gala where she was supposed to present, possibly supposed to perform, and that's now become an impromptu mourning session and tribute session to her, and of course, page, as we all know, the question is what will happen tomorrow at the grammy awards. you can bet it is a hectic scene there as the organizers are trying to figure out how they wrap their minds around this latest development and how they incorporate it into music's biggest night. >> this is a huge story for the entertainment industry out there. isn't this, wouldn't you say, gina, on par with the michael

jackson death? >> reporter: it really is on a few levels. one, because it is just so sudden. you know, 48, that's -- we all know about her troubles. we all know about her tumultuous past and drug use which she has freely admitted to, but word was she was clean, that she was getting back to things, and she was supposed to be at the grammys tomorrow, and at the event tonight. so it clearly comes as a huge shock. and so many people that knew her, who watched her in the industry, grow up under clive davis and followed her career, are in deep shock. so many statements come out from those that looked up to her, those that emulated her like mariah carey, brandy, christina aguilera, and industry executives, the recording academy sent out a statement as well as quincy jones, alicia keyes was supposed to be at the

event tonight mourning her, and so yes, absolutely. we felt the shock in the newsroom and los angeles in complete awe at this hour. >> thank you. we will check back in a moment. i want to go to lola ogunnaike from the "today" show. i can't help thinking as we were coming out of the break, listening to whitney houston's "one moment in time" that she's sort of getting this moment where we're all recognizing how extraordinary her talent was. >> and if there's one silver lining in this tragedy is that a new generation will discover just how tremendously talented whitney houston was, and the older generation that grew up with her music, that danced to her music, that celebrated special moments in their life to her music will have a chance to just rediscover how wonderful she was as an artist, and appreciate her for her true

unparalleled gift. >> and the timing of her death so ironic, on the day of clive davis' party, her mentor, the most significant relationship in her professional life. >> he was in many ways, he was her mentor, her svengali, her father figure, one of her staunchest supporters, he never gave up on her, even in her deepest valleys, he never gave up on her, was a true champion of her career to the end. tonight was supposed to be her chance to thank him for his steadfastness, willingness to stand by her when a lot of people abandoned her. unfortunately, it is he who will probably be giving a testimonial and speaking about whitney and not vice versa, which is a true and utter tragedy. >> do you think we'll see the grammys completely reworked on the basis of this news? >> i think they're going to have

to. they have no other choice. whitney houston was such an influential, powerful figure in the music industry, as we have heard from celebrities, everyone from ar rooet a franklin, even salman rushdie weighed in. she was a figure in the music industry and the grammys must in some way acknowledge her contribution as well as her passing. >> absolutely. thank you so much. lola ogunnaike from the "today" show. i want today to ty. there's a lot of talk about how she was poised for a come back. what do you think? >> i definitely think a lot of people were looking for whitney houston to make a come back. in 2009, she put out an album that clive davis really had a hand in orchestrating with her,

and it was the hope that record was going to put the troubles of her past behind her, and that she would go back to making hits and making fantastic music and that she would come back to the form that we all knew and loved. and that record sold about two and a half million copies. i think it was definitely seeming as if it was going to happen to get her back to the top. but unfortunately that never happened in the way any of us wanted or expected. >> why is that. you said it sold two and a half million. had a big hit off that album. >> you know, there were some moderate hits on the record. there was nothing to the level of "i will always love you" or some of the really iconic songs she released in the peak of her career. i think that's a big issue with that last record, "i look to you", just the quality of her voice wasn't quite there. she wasn't able to go through all of the octaves she was able

to at the peak of her career. and even though some of the songs she presented were of similar vain to the hits she put out, there wasn't anything that was really able to resonate with the audience the way we were hoping they would. >> where do you think her place is in pop music history? what artist is she alongside? >> i think she's alongside aretha franklin, stevie wonder, michael jackson, and a lot of the great artists who were really responsible in cultivating the sound of soul and r&b music, the impression and influence she left for her music culture can't be denied or underplayed. everyone from mary j. blige to christina aguilera, to any diva that gets in front of a microphone, belts out a ballad, they're looking to whitney houston as an inspiration, and the string of hits she had at the height of her career are

songs that are woven into the tapestry of pop music. she will never be replaced. >> those hits, i remember vividly, i was a huge fan, it was like one after another, every song that came out shot to the top. it was amazing. >> yes. she actually was the first artist to have a string of seven number one singles on the billboard hot 100 chart, and that started, you know, with a couple of her first hits. so right from the beginning, she was really able to capture the attention of the american public with classic songs, one of the all time most iconic songs throughout her career to even some of the dance numbers like "how will i know" and "i want to dance with somebody." it was amazing balance adds that brought people to their knees, "i will always love you" "all the man i need" "saving all my

love for you" i think people will recognize the incredible talent she was. >> you are going back to the early songs from her career. do you believe those are the ones she will be remembered for? >> i think so. i think later in her career as she got to the late '90s, she started to try to update her sound to a more modern r and b sound, and she had moderate success with the songs, especially on the dance and r and b charts, but it was really the songs that were crossover hits at the early part of her career. that's when we were first introduced to her, and that's when her legacy, her personality was untarnished. she seems like such a sweet individual, and everyone was rooting for her and in her corner, and she had such an amazing, incredible talent that i think when we look back at the art of her career, it's really

songs from the first few albums that are going to resonate loudest. >> and as you point out, the balance adds that showcased the range of her amazing voice. >> absolutely. one performance not on an album that people will be looking to the next few weeks is the performance of the star-spangled banner at the super bowl. that's an incredibly difficult song to sing as we have seen many artists not quite reach those heights in the past. but that was just such an important and iconic moment for her, you know. i think she was able to put an emotion in that song most hadn't heard. i think when we look at some of the greatest performances in the history of modern music, that stands up there with some of the best. >> tye, what do you think her contribution is culturally to our music. someone said earlier one of the criticisms about her music was

that it was homogenized. what do you think? >> i think the legacy she leaves behind will be completely unparalleled. i think over time those songs have become so engrained in popular culture that it is sometimes easy to forget just how impactful they were the first time you heard them. the first time you heard that final chorus of "i will always love you" you couldn't help but the hair on your arms would stand up involuntarily. i think repeated listens may start to dull that emotion over time, but i think as people look back, start to listen to some of the old songs, start to remember the whitney we knew and loved, i think it will become very clear just the mark that she had on modern music. >> and of course, "i will always love you" was a hit for dolly parton, but always said whitney's singing of it eclipsed

whatever she had done with that song, she was so grateful to whitney houston. >> absolutely. that song was number one 14 weeks on the billboard hot 100. it sold 17 million copies during the run. and that's a record that there's only a handful of artists can even come close to comparing to something like that. so you know, at the end of the day, dolly parton may have written and originally recorded that song, but whitney owns that tune for all time. >> tye comer, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> we are following breaking news out of los angeles tonight, the death of whitney houston at the age of 48. many questions swirling. of course, the grammys are tomorrow. a lot of questions. people in disbelief. we will continue to follow this breaking story. we'll be right back. you're watching msnbc. ♪ i will always love you

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welcome back. you have been watching ms nbc's coverage of a tragedy breaking out of l.a. tonight.

the death of whitney houston at the age of 48. she died at that time beverly hilton hours ago. tonight was the night of a big pregrammy event hosted by her mentor, the man who discovered her at 16 years old, clive davis. she was supposed to sing a tribute to him at the party tonight. we understand you're looking at live aerials of the beverly hilton. the party is on going. there are about 80 people there. it's become a memorial to houston. of course the grammys are tomorrow. enrique eglesias writes, my thoughts and prayers togo to whitney and her family. and maria carey released a statement saying, heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable ms. whitney houston. my condolences to her family and

fans throughout the world. she will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth. a lot of people saying that. now to gus rosendale from nbc. he has reaction from the apollo tonight. >> on a frigid night outside the apollo theater fans had only warm memories to share. >> everyone was shocked. they couldn't believe it. still now i'm like, o gosh, i hope it's a rumor. >> i'm devastated and sad. i knew them people personally. they're from the area. i knew them before they even started when bobby was with the boys i knew them personally because i was a disk jockey. >> she had a tough life. >> she did. but she made an effort. she had a lot of people to support her. she made an effort to change. >> reporter: the musical influence and style of whitney

houston has long been at the apollo. >> whitney is known for raw talent. she was known as the voice. for young people to come out and embody what she was, it was just sheer raw talent. >> we want to take a moment to acknowledge a family member of the apollo theater. ms. whitney houston. >> reporter: inside the apollo tonight's performers honored the star who inspired so many. here they called whitney houston family. >> that was gus rosendale of wnbc. people remembering whitney houston tonight. i want to bring in as we near the top of the hour reverend joe watkins. he knew whitney houston, worked with whitney houston. you're digesting this and hearing the grief from people. >> i'm just heartened at the

outpouring of grief. i'm in a state of shock. she was not just a great singer, a legendary singer and performer. she's somebody with and for whom i worked. i just have the highest personal and professional regard for her and for her family. it just seems too soon. i'm in shock that she's gone so quickly from us. i was excited to hear about her career coming back and about the movie upcoming. it looked like things were really moving in the right direction for her. and so sad to hear about her passing so suddenly today in california. >> you know, when we look at the videos we have been looking at all night long she was such an every ve sent, vivacious woman. you were on tour with her. is that what she was like? >> yeah, she was.

she was full of life, fun and funny and very serious about her music and her gift. we would pray before going on stage before tour. of course i wasn't singing with her, but i was part of the group. she would ask me to lead the prayer sometimes. i remember the fun times. i remember just in the days in between the concerts, playing games and we played pictionary one day. whi whitney and i were on the same team. i would draw and whitney would try to guess. i remember having lots of fun with her and her being full of life. >> something you were telling me earlier, what was amazing, not only obviously the voice which was a gift from above, but her sheer athleticism in the c

concerts. >> oh, e yeah. there were so many concerts where she had to sing is and dance at the same time and be constantly on the move and do costume changes in between songs. people don't realize what great condition you have to be in to do it, but she would do it. she's sing a song. one song she was in a gown. the next song she might be in pant. she'd be on stage dancing with the dancers who were all in tremendous condition and she was right there dancing with them. she had beauty, great talent. >> everything. >> reverend watkins, what would you like to say to people that they didn't know about her? what words would you say to them tonight? >> i think she was a sweet person who really cared. despite whatever people may have seen in television, she's somebody who was serious about her faith in god. she was grateful to god for the

talent he gave her. he gave her a tall leapt that was singular. >> now to chris witherspoon of grio.com. what are you thinking now as this is sinking in? >> about her legacy. i think whitney houston set a standard vocally that was untouchable. i think the reason we're all talking about her is pause of her talent. i mean, she had this personal life she let out publically that everyone knew about that was negative in some ways, but her talent is incomparable. stars are saying that now. >> her voice, do you think that's what will be standing out? reverend watkins used the word "singular." that's the perfect word for her voice. there is nothing like it was.

>> i think her voice is singular. it's almost impossible to cover a whitney houston song. to come out and put an album out like "the bodyguard" sound track is once in a lifetime. there will be nobody to sing "i will always love you" like whitney houston. i heard jennifer hudson and chaka khan will do a tribute at the grammys to her. >> what do you think will be the most outstanding memory of whitney houston? >> she was a great mother to her daughter. i'm curious what her daughter and her mother say about her. i think she was a great daughter and a great mother. i think the memories will be the older recordings. most recently the last 20 years she hasn't put out remarkable, incredible vocal music. she's most remembered for her

older recordings. we'll be listening to a lot of great classics like "i want to run to you" and songs from the '80s remembering how she was. >> thank you, chris witherspoon. as we finish out this hour i want to touch base with my colleague, genah kim with the latest. >> we are expecting details to emerge in the next couple of hours, we are told by the beverly hills police department which is still swarming the beverly hilton this hour. they are expected to be there all night. this story will be developing into the morning through the grammys tomorrow. just to recap for the audience that may be signing off with us and may not know the details is what we know is the singer was pronounced dead at 3:55 los angeles time today. no cause of death yet. many efforts to revive her. they are not sure what led up to that. they say