he was once married to whitney houston. i'm quoting he's saying that i'm deeply saddened at the passing of my ex-wife whitney houston at this time we ask for her privacy, especially for my daughter bobbi kristina. i appreciate ul of the condolences that have been directed towards my family and i at this most difficult time. we're hearing from the houston family. they're equally broken up over this devastating news. we got that in. we've confirmed this. their quote is we are devastated by the loss of our beloved whitney. this is an unimaginable tragedy and we will miss her terribly. we appreciate the outpouring of love and support from her fans and her friends. and some of whitney's closest friends, for example, jennifer hudson who really looked up to whitney and her entire life, she shared with our piers morgan recently how when she was 11 she would sit back and imagine that she was having duets with whitney houston and singing so many of her famous songs. "i will always love you." she's going to be performing a special tri

he dedicated a performance to whitney houston last night in houston, texas. never been a female artist to ever do it the way whitney houston has done it. i want to send my prayers and my shouts to the family and all of her friends and people that knew her and loved her over the years. ♪ and i ♪ will always love you >> the power of music is that at some point some of the most significant things we've ever done in our life, music was there to add to it. whitney houston music will forever be in our hearts and our minds because her music has traveled into some of the darkest places, and that's also been a part of some of the most incredible, beautiful moments that people have shared in their lives. >> was it difficult for her the way she was at times portrayed and the things that she went through? her troubles were well documented. was it a difficult road for her? >> i can't really speak for her, but can i only imagine it was difficult sometimes. us as entertainers, we do have a responsibility to be and do our best as public figures, but because we make so much m

houston sings a duet with grammy nominee kelly price. it would become houston's final performance. photos show a disheveled and angry houston leaving the show with what appears to be blood on her leg. she has to be escorted from the club, but friends say nothing seemed unusual. they say she was tired from the show. >> when i saw whitney thursday night, she was happy, she was celebrating. she looked fine. >> reporter: the next day houston's mother reportedly spoke to her daughter shortly before her death and said she sounded just fine. news reports also say houston's cousin, dionne warwick, had a similar conversation with her. but then at 3:43 p.m. on saturday, someone from houston's entourage calls hotel security to report finding her lifeless body. paramedics arrive minutes later and try to resuscitate her with cpr to no avail. at 3:55 p.m., whitney houston is pronounced dead. last night whitney's ex-husband singer bobby brown gave an emotional good-bye to her during a concert in tennessee and today he is asking for privacy for their daughter bobbi kristina, whom, david, we learne

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whitney houston. at 3:55 this evening l.a. time whitney houston pronounced dead at the age of 48. there you go. can you believe it? howard bragman, you still there? >> yeah, don. >> sad, huh? >> let me sort of tell you what's going on tonight now. >> yeah, go ahead. >> behind the scenes in hollywood. there's a lot of scrambling. clive davis, who discovered whitney, is having a big pre-grammy party tonight, which is one reason she was in town. so they're deciding to go ahead, and obviously tomorrow are the grammys and you can't just go on with the show. you got to respect what happened. and i think there's a lot of people who are going to have an all nighter tonight pulling this together. >> howard, thank you. we appreciate your expertise. can you stand by? i want to bring in hln's james veldevelo -- jane velez mitchell. you and i talk all the time. we are very open and honest with each other. you heard the lieutenant there. but, jane, you are a recovering addict. you know the issues that whitney houst

this is the essence of whitney houston. we're going see is very much reflective of that part of her life. >> and a traditional baptist service cl means it will be worshipful. it will be focused on god, even though the list of names are some of the nation's top performers, it's not a performance. this is a celebration, a service about her live. >> and it will be quite lengthy. we were hearing originally one hour, but it's going to be two to three hours. a full baptist service. lots of tributes and performances from some of the greatest performers in the modern age. a real sense. whatever whitney houston went through in her life, all the issues that she faced should all be put to one side. today, a celebration of her life and music which certainly touched the lives of many people here in new jersey but also the wilder world has tuned in to watch this. it's going to be an extraordinary occasion, i think. >> let's get to don lemon. he's been standing by, talking to many people who wish they had the opportunity to be inside the

first up will be patricia houston, whitney houston's sister-in-law. and then we'll hear from dionne warwick. she'll be giving the closing remarks. a lot of emotional highs and lows we'll be hearing about when the service gets under way. the service is expected to last about three hours and i'm told whitney houston will finally be laid to rest tomorrow. gary? >> jason, very much. there is a lot of movement right now around the new hope baptist church. cnn's don lemon also joins us live with the latest from his vantage point. don? >> reporter: i just want to show you people are starting to arrive here. this is the ground shot. they're arriving in this parking lot and they walk in. some of them who are high-profile guests will get out on the other side of the church there. i want to bring in someone here, the reverend who -- i think it's important. people underestimate how well you knew the family, how much you know about this community, how well you knew whitney houston. she was -- you're very close to her family. and today is really a tough day not onl

whitney houston was born into music royalty.ghter of gospel singer cissy houston, star dionne warwick was her cousin and aretha franklin or god mother. ♪ i would rather be alone >> reporter: with a platinum voice and cover model looks houston was destined to be a star. record producer clive davis became her mentor and whitney shot to the top of the charts. ♪ i'm saving all my love for you ♪ >> reporter: she was the most awarded female artist of all time. >> okay. >> reporter: she starred in films like "the bodyguard." ♪ and i will always love you >> reporter: houston sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos. for a time she was america's sweetheart. ♪ o say does that star spangled banner yet wave ♪ >> reporter: but one year after that dazzling 1991 super bowl performance, houston married bobby brown. the pair had a daughter bobbi kristina and then the singer's life seemed to spiral downward. she admitted drug use and struggles with her once effortless voice. ♪ >> reporter: brown and houston divorced in 2007. and in 2010,

of the houston family.ight 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 ♪ w

in houston and 5:00 a.m. in san diego. wherever you may be, thank you very much for joining us today. and good morning. i'm gary tuchman. >>> a live look at newark, new jersey this morning. it's a sad day for family and friends of whitney houston. it's the new hope baptist church. this is where the funeral for the pop star there been held beginning at 12:00 noon, four hours from now. we'll take through live and hear from her closest friends. >>> plus, a 29-year-old man is arrested for an alleged blod plot to blow up the u.s. capital and the fbi had been watching every single move he made. >>> just earlier this morning, pope benedict xvi added 22 more cardinals to the cath lynn lick church. one of them, the arch bishop from pen pep. >> announcer: live from studio 7, this is cnn saturday morning. >>> in just a few hours, families and close friends of whitney houston will back their own church in new york, new jersey to say good-bye to a legendary entertainer. don is live in new york. what do you see right now? good morning t

whitney houston's family members.hey're devastated over the loss, but they're remembering the iconic singer fondly. her godmother, darlene love, is joining us now from new york. darlene, our deepest condolences going out to you and other family members who are grieving on this very heavy day. what are your immediate thoughts about whitney houston? >> i met whitney when she was 8 years old. i was working for dionne warwick and cissy, myself and deedee, dionne's sister, we were the background singers. i felt when i met her, i loved her so much, she was such a sweetheart. had an unbelievable smile that i dubbed her my god daughter. i said i don't know how many you have, you're going to be my god daughter. >> she had a lot. aretha franklin among those as godmothers. >> yeah. and which is fine because we all loved her so much. she had an unbelievable smile that filled up a whole room. there is a song out by gospel singer kirk franklin called "smile." if you listen to the lyrics of that song, you'll see -- you'll see -- we

love you, whitney houston! you too. >> like singing along with wanda smith. she was more than an artist to the staff. >> the one and only, whitney houston. >> the d.j. said she was also a friend. >> she was really down to earth like the girl next door when you got to meet her. >> her music was played often and she was a frequent guest on the morning show sharing not only her music, but her life. >> we were just all family. >> the news was a shock to everyone who dedicated their sunday afternoon to pay tribute to the loss of a musical icon. >> i feel like i am standing here. >> even fellow musicians like grandmaster d called in to express condolences. selling more than 170 million albums in her career, program directors say whitney houston changed the music industry by crossing all musical genres. >> she was our princess in the urban world, but it crossed over to america. it was whitney houston to me at one point was colorless. whether you were black, white, asian, it didn't matter. you loved whitney houston. >>

of the houston family.xtensively 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

he knew whitney houston, worked with whitney houston.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

houston unresponsive in her hotel room.started resuscitation measures, they were unsuccessful. whitney houston was pronounced dead in her hotel room. >> investigators say they saw no obvious signs of what they called "criminal intent," and one police source said the singer's cause of death was simply unknown at this point, raising the possibility that houston had finally lost her well-known battle with drug use. but whatever the cause of her death, the singer died just as some of those bold-faced names in the music business were arriving for a huge pre-grammy party at the same hotel. and their evening went on, even while the body of one of the best-known recording artists in the world still lay just a few floors above them. some nine hours after her death, houston's body was taken to the l.a. county coroner's office. >> i'll be doing a full autopsy along with toxicology to try to determine if there were any substances in her body at the time of her death. >> tracing the cause of houston's death could take weeks, those who s

of the houston family.ht 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 ♪ win

now, stars remembering whitney houston.y with us to hear how the late pop star helped singer jennifer holliday through hard times. >> i wanted to be like her, always wanted to sing like that, never could, though. but she was a wonderful person. always giving of herself. but, you know, her music will live forever. she will forever be a superstar, forever. >> and she was. she was a super star. >> a superstar, yeah. don't make them like that anymore. maybe this vacation wasn't a good idea vacations are always a good idea ♪ priceline negoti - - no time. out quickly. you're miles from your destination. you'll need a hotel tonight we don't have time to bid you don't have to bid. at priceline you can choose from thousands of hotels on sale every day. save yourself... some money it's what he would have wanted. today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, att

houston today.yler perry. >> there are two constants i know about whitney houston. there was a grace that carried. a grace that carried her from heaven down through miss cissy houston. a grace that brought her up through singing. from what i understand, she wasn't even supposed to be able to speak let alone sing because of an incident that happened to her as a child. there was a grace that kept carrying her all the way through. the same grace led her all the way to the top of the charts, sold all these albums and done amazing things, won all these awards. she sang for presidents. there was a grace that kept on carrying her. the other thing i know for sure, and this is more important than anything she's ever done in her life, whitney houston loved the lord. in every conversation we had over these years, it was evident she loved the lord. when i think about her, there is a scripture that keeps burning in my heart. i keep thinking about apostle paul in romans, "i am persuaded nothing shall separate me

and he said, you know, cissy houston taught me in the choir. i knew the houston family. i wanted to come up and pay my respects. this is a woman who never forgot where her heart was. >> one more thing. how many people are expected inside the church? and do we expect thousands of people outside, too? >> well, pastor carter told me that the church seats about 1,500. he said he expects it to be packed. in terms of the number of fans who might be showing up outside and in the surrounding area, as you know, the area around new hope baptist church has been blocked off. the closest fans who do show up who might be able to get into the area will be at least two blocks away. so there might be a sprinkling of fans in and around the church, in and around the area, but police are suggesting it's best to stay home and watch the service on television. >> the body of whit knew houston has arrived at her church. jason carroll, thank you very much for your report. she didn't act like a superstar. that's what one former executive from whit knew houston's record company says about her. we'

houston was said to be making a comeback.. she had a new movie project, and a new lease on life. >> i think that people were 100% rooting for whitney houston. everybody wanted to see a comeback. >> reporter: last night her mentor, clive davis, held a moment of silence to honor houston at a pre-grammy party, saying, quote, simply put, whitney would have wanted the music to go on, and her family asked that we carry on. musical talent experts say will be remembered, but not easily duplicated. >> that voice, there will never be another whitney houston. >> reporter: for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >> joe levy is a contributing editor for "rolling stone" magazine. and toure is an msnbc contributor. thank you both for joining us. joe, let me start with you. whitney houston's musical gift sort of speaks for itself. 170 million albums sold. that's an astounding number. can you pinpoint what some of her standout moments were over the course of her career? >> two moments people are mentioning so much right now are "i

remembering whitney houston.es of her songs spiking online this morning. >>> plus that interview, diane sawyer sitting down with the pop icon revealing a long history oi >>> welcome back, everyone. it's a big day at the white house. president obama sent his budget to congress with the goal of reducing the deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade. it also calls for more spending on transportation and education too boost economic growth. but republicans say the budget proposal would do just the opposite by raising taxes on the wealthy. >>> overseas budgets are up. tokyo's nikkei average gained 52 points. today. hong kong's hang seng is up 104. the dow fell 61 points last week. the nasdaq index gave up two points. >>> and as we see when other pop stars have died, download numbers have soared. "i will always love you" has been at the top since saturday. her death was also very big news on twitter with more than 2.5 million tweets and retweets. in the first 2 1/2 hours after the news broke that rival was super bowl

houston will get in the mix.y, all of the cold air in place, again same recipe, moisture, layer of cold air, icy mix in oklahoma city, wichita, towards kansas city. it's all going to be snow. we'll have more coming up during the next weather update moment as way. >>> republican presidential hopeful rick santorum is coming off a strong week of victories in several states. he is a guest on "state of the union" host candy crowley joinsjoins us. >>> "state of the union" with c candy crowley coming up at top of the hour. candy, live with a preview. rick santorum, of course, on your show this morning. he is coming off a very good week. >> well, he had a better first of the week than end of the week. you know, ted there was a big cpac convention and cpac is conservatives, it's a collection, umbrella group, for leading conservative organizations across the country. they were meeting here in washington. they had a straw poll saturday, it was a straw poll of people who came a very large group, into the thousands and a stra

houston exited the stage to applause, taking her final bow.bc news has confirmed houston's ex-husband, bobby brown-s on his way back to l.a. to support their grieving daughter. rob, paula? >> and as we said at the top of the show, bobby brown is now in los angeles to be with his daughter. he actually was on tour, a reunion tour with new edition. they were in mississippi when he found out the news, and they were doing a show in nashville sunday night. and they paid tribute to them on stage that night, but bobby, as he should be, is now back with his daughter. and if you doubt the ym pact this story is having, as we see pasn"i s lo you" currently number 1 single on the itunes singles chart. whitney greatest hits the number one album. the bodyguard album currently number nine on the album charts. people showing of this lore by gobbling ungz. >> sometimes you ne just the impact that somebody had on your life until they're gone. the most awarded artist in history. you just wonder who's going to carry that flame. you heard jennifer hudson tonight --

whitney houston. r.i.p. sister whitney houston. we will always love you.nd i will always love you quickly became a trending topic on twitter tonight. and stay with news 4 and nbc washington.com for continuing coverage of the death of whitney houston. watch news 4 starting at 6:00 a.m. for the latest sde tails on the passing of the 48-year-old music icon. and of course, tune into a special edition of "dateline." looking back at whitney houston's life and career. it airs tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. here on nbc 4. >>> our other big story tonight, of course, is the weather. a snow squall swept across our area today. tonight, the big story is the cold and i can attest to the wind that came along with that cold air. meteorologist chuck bell in storm center 4 now with the latest. chuck? >> all right, the squalliness from the snow machine is not completely done with us just yet. you can see on storm 4 radar, snow showers continuing to go from north to south across the area. just spoke with my colleague who informs me the snow is starting to stick to the roads now.

and yes indeed we did see cissy houston.at we saw bobby christina, keeping in mind we've been kept across the street. but a lot of onlookers here, as well. seeing also reverend jesse jackson and tyler perry. we saw oprah and gayle king. jennifer hudson and a number of other celebrities, people that you too would recognize. and a couple of them actually, when they came out, kevin costner was here, as well, waved to the crowd, to their delight, of course. when we spoke with the people here, who came by, they talked about how inspirational and emotional it was to be here and to see these people after watching the funeral. many of them at home on television and felt compelled to come down here. and no doubt for the people who were inside, certainly a comforting experience, don. >> susan candiotti, no doubt. thank you very much. susan candiotti from newark for us tonight. whitney houston will be remembered as one of the greatest voices of her generation. and many of her closest friends say the troubled star was poised to make a c

the death of whitney houston. it's music's biggest night, but all the attention will be on the biggerest super star who won't be there. whitney houston. an autopsy is taking place today, but the results could take weeks. tmz is siting forces who say the singer was found unconscious in the tub of her hotel room where she was pronounced dead. it claims her body guard attempted cpr and pill bottles were found at the scene. also, her daughter was rushed to the hospital today. no word on why she was rushed to the hospital, but her condition was not thought to be life threatening. fans gathered outside the hotel where houston died, laying down candles and roses. tributes have been rolling into cnn all day. the music industry will honor whitney houston at the grammy awards. jennifer hudson will lead what is sure to be a stirring musical tribute. let's begin with casey wine who is following the investigation. you have confirmed the autopsy is happening. >> that's right. the los angeles county coroner's office saying the o

almost no one had what whitney houston had. talent so big that fans in the millions gave their hearts not only to her songs but to the woman herself. this weekend, she was preparing for music's biggest night of the year, the grammys, where she had won so many times before, but it wasn't to be. tonight, her journey, in her own words and through the eyes of some of those who knew her best. ♪ and i will >> reporter: it's as if the world lost its voice, one fan said. and what a voice it was. ♪ i will always whitney houston. a sweet and soaring melting pot of gospel and soul silenced at 48. >> thank you so much. >> last night, alongside the celebration of adele's big win at the grammys -- >> heavenly father, we thank you for sharing our sister whitney with us. >> reporter: the industry mourned the loss of the woman with the golden voice. >> amen. ♪ no matter what they take from me ♪ >> and tonight, fans in los angeles held an emotional vigil. while her body was flown on a private jet from l.a. back to newark, new jersey, where she g

whitney houston was born into music royalty. the daughter of cissy houston.was her cousin. >> with a platinum voice and cover model looks, houston was destined to be a star. fame record producer clive davis became her mentor and whitney shot to the top of the charts. ♪ yes i'm saving all my love for you ♪ ♪ >> she was the most awarded female artist of all-time. >> let's get this over with, okay? give me a kiss. >> she starred in films like the bodyguard. ♪ and i will always love you ♪ >> houston sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos. for a time, she was america's sweetheart. ♪ o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ >> but one year after that dazzling 1991 super bowl performance, houston married new edition singer, bobby brown. the pair had a daughter, bobbi kristina and then her life seemed to spiral downward. she admitted drug use and struggled with her once effortless voice. >> brown and houston divorced in 2007. and in 2010 she said she was drug-free. >> she was just excited about all the new things that were coming into her life abou

, whitney houston, whitney houston. >> do you know what, don?tmus test for whether a singer was any good. i did six years of "america's got talent." we always said the great test of a singer is could they sing a whitney houston song. because her songs were these unbelievably hardball -- hard ballads to sing. you try and hit the high notes and you will fail. time and again we would see them fail at the crucial moment. and if they hit it, like a susan boyle or somebody, you knew you found somebody special. i can't think of a better way of paying tribute to someone like whitney houston, other than that was the test. could they sing anywhere near the level of a whitney houston? >> and you know what, piers? our viewers have been tweeting me. they want to hear whitney. let's listen to "i want to dance with somebody" and we'll talk about that. ♪ ♪ to chase my blues away i don't know in i left him ♪ ♪ but the light of day shows me how ♪ ♪ and with the nightfall the loneliness comes ♪ ♪ i want to dance with somebody i want to feel the heat with somebody

but what does whitney houston mean to the music industry?, look, they have every right to celebrate the grammys because whitney won a number, you know. i don't think she would want the whole thing to turn into a totally somber affair, because i didn't know her well but my guess is that most of the night, if not the entire night, has to turn into a tribute to her. i think people have to respect her and remember her when she was at the very top of her career. and the fact that a lot of people there on the night, in my opinion, owe parts of their career to her, because she was such a trail blazer and she proved that, you know, a solo female artist like her could be one of the biggest selling artist of all time, which is what she became. and i think people need to remember that. >> it must be, when you hear her at her peak there, "the bodyguard," i watched it rece recently and she hit those big notes, it was just spine tingling. when contestants tried to emulate whitney houston, it would normally end in disaster when they tried to hit those big