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

little while ago, as was the reverend jesse jackson, who was a friend of the family who spoke to whitney houston's mom cissy houston saying she is completely devastated by this loss. we know there were members of the family over at the home of cissy houston. they're really just grappling with this trying to come to terms with exactly what's happened and why it happened now, especially since she seemed to be on the comeback, really she appeared to have kicked the addiction, at least in part. she had a new movie sparkle which is about musicians who are dealing with drug addiction, so there were a lot of good things in her life having ended by what all intents and purposes was a toxic marriage. we did speak earlier to several parishioners but also to the pastor. here's what he had to say. >> how do you feel? >> i haven't slept. i've been up all night. just gone over, listening to her songs and reminiscing about her life and what's going to happen now to her daughter, her mom, her brothers. she's in a better place. >> lot of the concern on whitney houston's daughter bobbi kristina there at the beverly

whitney houston's cousin is close friends with her. se like an intervention to bring her back and get her back on the right track. everybody said despite her struggles that we saw play out in front of us, they thought she was and forever will be the voice. period. >> 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 ther

let's start with the investigation now into the death of whitney houston. in los angeles. what more do we know about the investigation and then what more are we learning about houston's 19-year-old or 18-year-old daughter bobbi kristina, being rushed to a hospital? >> well, that's right, fredricka. disturbing news, beverly hills police department's watch commander confirnls firms to me that, in fact, bobbi kristina brown, the 18-year-old daughter of whitney houston and singer bobby brown, was actually rushed to the hospital in the last hour and a half to cedars-sinai hospital here in los angeles. now the hospital will neither confirm nor deny that has happened and will not give us any information about bobbi kristina brown's condition. what the police department did tell me, though, is that this was a medical transport issue. they would not say where she was transported from, whether it was from the beverly hilton hotel, where whitney houston died yesterday or from some other location. i asked if the fact he was stressing this was a medical transport meant t

fans of whitney houston have an assortment of memories. i've been singing whitney since i was 6 years old, on my boom box, listening to her tape, dancing, singing songs and now she's gone. it is very unfortunate. >> my heart kind of dropped. i loved whitney houston ever since she came out. so it was very hurtful. >> i used to watch her as a kid. she was awesome. i used to watch "bodyguard." i used to love watching that movie. >> it is tragic, tragic. such a talented human being. she is setting the standard for a bunch of singers now and she's gone. it is sad. i was in the gas station, grown women crying when i just remembe was, and she was very pure. so that's how i remember her. just -- she seemed like a very loving person. >> a powerful woman. just a gift from god that we're going to miss dearly. >> i haven't slept. i have been up all night just going over -- listening to her songs and remembering them singing about her life. >> whitney definitely left a legacy. she definitely left her presence felt on people, she left a lot. ♪ >> and yo

give us an indication of what type of person whitney houston was. erful performer. what type of a person was she? >> whitney was one of the most down -- just so down home and just nice and kind-hearted, and i had met her early on because i move so many of the same people that she knew -- michael jackson -- all these people that i move, of course, through "dream girls" and then aretha franklin and singers and stuff, so i got to know her just as a myself person, and she was always very kind-hearted. when i had fallen upon hard times and had lost my home and trying to get my career back together, she kind of stepped in to try to figure out, okay, so how are you going to get work, how are you going to do -- she would offer me jobs. one time she had a birthday party and she said, well, i can book you to sing for that. she and i were label mates briefly. i was with arister records. i did one album for them, and i sang for the clive davis party, which she was always at. she personally took me around to people, introduced me and personally sought after. she

he made the point that he believed that whitney houston's body was still in the hotel. dy 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 yea

out here it's still a positive occasion for whitney houston. >> reporter: yeah. - when whitney went to school there, when whitney went to school, the name of the school was? >> franklin. >> reporter: franklin. and now? whitney e. houston academy of the arts. >> reporter: beautiful. nippy. you've been calling her all this life -- >> if you look at her license plate number, nippy inc. 1, nippy inc. 2. >> reporter: your heart is heavy? >> my heart is heavy. crying, not sleep you, what have you. but today i feel good. you know why i feel good? because so many people are recognizing the things she has done. that in itself is beautiful. not talking about negative things or this or that. they're talking about the true whitney and that has help med overcome the grieve that i had. >> reporter: amen, principal. i think there's a time and place for everything and i don't think there needs to be mention of that. this is, what you said, negativity. this is what we do when we send people home. we honor them and we think about and celebrate the good times in their lives and what

whitney houston transcended race in her popularity. a cord with young african-american girls, many first inspired by whitney after she graced the cover of "seventeen" magazine in 1981. joining me now, a blogger who says she too was touched by whitn whitney's talent. la toya peterson joining us from san francisco. you blog about race and pop culture. what were you inspired to write over the last under 24 hours now? >> at this point we haven't written anything. i don't think any of us expected to lose whitney houston at age 48. i think it is important for us to look at the boundaries she broke in terms of race and gender and what black women could expect to see and do in the pop culture space in america. >> she did touch so many young girls, you know, from a very early start, whether it was in her church, at the new hope baptist church in newark, where, you know, at 11 years old she was a solo singer with the junior choir there. so she made an indelible impression there in the community this and just simply blossomed as she became one on

if you would like to remember whitney houston, go to remembering whitney houston on cnn.com/ireport.eve 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

dubai, whitney houston, we will always love you. >> absolutely. well said. . how appropriate? whitney, we will always love you. thank you for reading those headlines from around the world. i think i heard here on cnn that whitney houston's "i will always love you" was number one around the world. >> most of the countries, right? >> around the world, yeah. amazing. >> the global impact. a global icon. we think of her being so remarkable here in this country but somebody who touched the lives of millions and millions and millions of people who are mourning today. >> nadia, thank you very much. appreciate your reporting. that's why they're paying tribute to her at the red carpet at the grammy awards and cnn is live on the red carpet at the grammy awards and live at the l.a. county coroner's office. there's the red carpet where stars will be coming in and getting their reaction to the death of whitney houston and the l.a. county coroner's office expecting at any moment a briefing from the coroner's office. we don't know what it's about. could be about what the re

what an amazing time for whitney houston and i'm sure for you. sense of whitney's beginnings. how are you doing? >> i'm doing much better now, thank you. i was in shock and like most of the world, but now i'm going to celebrate her life and to pass on the love for her music and the love for her. >> let's go back to the beginning. as they call her, nippy. some people call her whit or nippy. she is say young kid with all this talent and puts off the albums and boom, it was a rocket ride to the top. >> that's correct. she had all the talent in the world and the good looks to go with it and the push for clive davis and the company behind her and all the great producers helping to work on it. it was a wonderful time in life. an absolute wonderful time. >> did you guys become close and if so, did you remain close? what was your relationship like? >>y remained close through her life and i was very happy to -- i know at the very beginning. >> what was it? like 7 or 8 number ones on the album? >> i'm not sure of the number, but i know how will i know was t

rest in peace, whitney houston. miguel monegro. judge jeanine is tweeting and says tommy mottola met whitney at age 16 about to embark on one of the most famous music careers of our time. her talent, god given. we'll be right back. >> harris: and in our continuing coverage of the death of whitney houston at this hour, i'm harris faulkner. breaking news here on fox news channel. i want to invite robin sachs by phone now. we had her on earlier and a number of questions from the viewers tonight about just how the crime scene and we call it that because there is a crime lab van outside the beverly hilton where whitney houston's body was found on the fourth floor of that hotel a few hours ago. rob gin, you arrobin, you are e with us now. is it unusual for the los angeles coroner's office not to be there yet. >> they are like every other government agency. the first thing they need to do is get the jurisdiction of the police force. i can tell you as of right now there is an issue between whether or not this is a los angeles county sheriff

distressed about what happened, but he has this huge event, which i imagine will become a memorial to whitney houston night talking about whitney as being one of the greatest stars of them all, without any indication of what was going to be happening today. lord only knows what that man is going through. he could never have contemplated. we now have some tape of tony bennett who is at that event tonight. this is what he had to say. >> to have this happen, it's so tragic. it's terrible. she had a god-given gift of being a magnificent singer and great artist. >> can you speak about her impact on your industry? >> well, it's all personal, but i just, you know, to me she was one of the greatest singers ever i heard. and to have this happen is tragic. >> you've worked with some of the best vocalists. >> that's true. she was one of the greatest singers i ever heard. >> do you feel like you regret not getting as much opportunity to work with her in the past? >> it's one of the regrets i had because i always wanted to sing with her. >> unfortunately you won't be able to do that. >> right, i understand. >> ca

what will you always love about whitney houston? like i said, don, whitney was family to me. i will always love whitney about whitney, because whitney was family to me. so i will always love her, and she is one of the greatest voices in the history of music. so that's what i say. >> thank you. piers, thank you for letting me jump in. we're going to go to break. >> thank you, guys. >> thank you, smokey. we'll be back after this break. ♪ i love the lord he's earned my trust ♪ [ male announcer ] southwest airlines is committed to our relationships in the african-american community. and we're showcasing the work our employees do. like karen. [ karen ] what's so special about our relationship is they're passionate. through southwest airlines, the learning continues outside of the classroom. educating young people for black history month is so important. it's not just a month. it's all year 'round. [ male announcer ] when it comes to giving back to the african-american community, we are proud to say, we do. find out more at southwest.com/

yeah. >> that was whitney houston there talking about michael jackson. bvious. two people from singing families who both died before they even reached 50. incredibly sad. very sad to see whitney talking about michael that way and then the same thing happening to her. what do you think of the parallels she drew there? >> have sobering. i think it speaks to the level of people born to tremendous success. it's inconceivable that every mistake appears in newspapers, that things you never thought do are in public view. and i think the burden that celebrities have, particularly those who are at the top of their field, is immeasurable. and i think you can see the parallels in that sense. but with regard to her music, whitney presented a kind of dignity and elegance that was embraced by the community. she was never disrecollectful to her tradition. her music was not only uplifting but her persona was so elegant and so dignified. she was in a class of people who come very rarely. >> she left at 48, which is relatively long. she covered more ground in 48 years than

rest in peace, whitney houston. miguel monegro. anine is tweeting and says tommy mottola met whitney at age 16 about to embark on one of the most famous music careers of our time. her talent, god given. we'll be right back. uh oh. should we be letting him p-l-a-y with our t-a-b-l-e-t? [ mom ] i think it's fine. it's the new element from at&t so it's w-a-t-e-r proof. cool. what else does it d-o? it's fast. it's 4g lte. what's l-e spell? nothing. w-h-y? hey, can we stop spell talking now? ok. a-y. [ male announcer ] buy a waterproof pantech element for $249.99 and get a 4g burst smartphone free. only from at&t. good gravy, bill. our insurance company doesn't have anything like it. magnificent, isn't it? with progressive, it's easy to cover all of your favorite rides. progressive has truck insurance? number one in truck and motorcycle. is that a golf cart? yep. we0also cover rvs, boats, atvs. anything0else i can help you with? can i take a ride? you need a ticket -- i'm first! and that's by the water slide. okay. no(running. oh, dear.

whitney houston seemed so determined to overcome her struggles. sat down with diane back in 2002. diane asking houston about those struggles and if the singer herself was worried. >> i grant you, i partied, but there have been times when i know i've been going through a lot of emotional stress, and my eating habits were awful. >> whitney dying, crack rehab fails. >> first of all, let's get one thing straight. crack is cheap. i make too much money to ever smoke crack. let's get that straight, okay. we don't do crack. we don't do that. crack is whack. >> is it alcohol? is it marijuana? is it cocaine? is it pills? >> it has been at times. >> all? >> at times. >> how scared did you get? >> scared. when they said i had died, i did. i changed my mind. i changed my mind. yep, because i didn't want to look like the rest of them. i didn't want to be like them. it frightened me. >> do you think you came close? >> i think as close as anybody. i know folks that have come closer, but that's as close as i want to be. >> how sure are you that those bad days you t

looking forward to it. >>> whitney houston was staging a big comeback before her death. of you remember that? we'll talk with a reporter about what houston told them about her role and what would be her last interview for that magazine. weight loss programs can be expensive. so to save some money, i just got the popular girls from the local middle school to follow me around. ew. seriously? so gross. ew. seriously? that is so gross. ew. seriously? dude that is so totally gross. so gross...i know. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. >>> we all get a chance, a chance to see whitney houston on the big screen one last time this august in the movie "sparkle." the producer, bishop t.d. jakes said it would have relaunched her career. cory, you spent time with her and i spoke with shawn robins from "access hollywood." you did an interview with her for "essence." what did you make of her and how she was doing during this interview? >> speaking with her, she was so, you know, spirited, she was full of life. she was clear. you

rest in peace, whitney houston. miguel monegro. judge jeanine is tweeting and says tommy mottola met whitney at age 16 about to embark on one of the most famous music careers of our time. her talent, god given. we'll be right back. >> harris: and in our continuing coverage of the death of whitney houston at this hour, i'm harris faulkner. breaking news here on fox news channel. i want to invite robin sachs by phone now. we had her on earlier and a number of questions from the viewers tonight about just how the crime scene and we call it that because there is a crime lab van outside the beverly hilton where whitney houston's body was found on the fourth floor of that hotel a few hours ago. rob gin, you arrobin, you are e with us now. is it unusual for the los angeles coroner's office not to be there yet. >> they are like every other government agency. the first thing they need to do is get the jurisdiction of the police force. i can tell you as of right now there is an issue between whether or not this is a los angeles county sheriff

whitney houston could draw a crowd no matter where she was at her career, what state she was in her personal life. the real question was how will whitney perform, and this is the type of artist that everyone was rooting for. nobody wanted to set her up for failure. nobody professionally on her side wanted to put her in a position where she couldn't perform to the best of her ability, and so i think it was always a balancing act, where was whitney, you know, personally and with that standup professionally for her, what would the best case scenario would be. >> as we get the news of whitney houston dead at the age of 48, courtney, that voice was iconic. we'll probably never hear the likes of it again. we want to take a moment and remember some her biggest hits in the late '80s and early '90s. ♪ and i will always love you ♪ ooh i will always love you ♪ you, ooh ♪ okay, we've been listening to one of the greatest songs that whitney houston ever recorded. she wasn't the first to record it but certainly made a hit out of the song the voice the likes of which we'll probably never hear again. we go

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

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.

she was a backup singer for aretha franklin, the godmother of whitney houston. k of fidelity and faithfulness. >> we'll take a short break and have more reaction to the extraordinary funeral service today. ♪ jesus said here i stand ♪ won't you please take my hand ♪ ♪ and you said i will tomorrow ♪ sees said i am here ♪ who supplies all your needs ♪ and you said i know ♪ but tomorrow ♪ jesus said here i stand ♪ he's my older brother and he thinks he's my dad ♪ ♪ and i say i will ♪ tomorrow ♪ jesus said i am he who supplies all your needs ♪ ♪ and you said i will tomorrow ♪ [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation, so i used my citi thank you card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? we talked about getting a diamond. but with all the thank you points i've been earning... ♪ ...i flew us to the rock i really had in mind. ♪ [ male announcer ] the citi thank you card. earn points you can use for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates. [ horn honks ] [ dog barks ] [ dog whimpers ] [ wind whistling

the last person to sing with whitney houston. it feel like to be up there on that stage with your friend in that moment? >> every time i sang with whitney, i felt honored and privileged because i was a huge fan before becoming a colleague. that feeling never went away. there was always a feeling of just complete and total respect for the artist that she was before anything else. so, again, being on the stage with her and sharing a microphone with her that night, it was the same feeling. you can see it in my face. number one, i was so surprised, but she was just so graceful and gracious as always. she was always that way with me, and whenever we shared a stage or a microphone, she did whitney. she did her whitney thing, but she always pushed me to be kelly and nothing less. >> kelly, we can see in the glow of your smile what it felt like to have her step up there. there's a lot of investigative reporting going on now, which i have on to tell you at this point i don't care about. we're going to get an autopsy report in some weeks,

whitney houston was born into music royalty. hter 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, s

>> known whitney houston and her family for 30 years and chaka khan, thank you both for coming on. >> you. >> reverend, you've known whitney and her family for years. have you spoken to her mother or dionne warwick, her aunt? >> no. we've reached out to them. i spent a lot of time last night talking to people who knew her well, was working with her, including the one who directed the movie she just finished "sparkles," that's coming out. everyone is numb and in shock because she seemingly had recaptured her whole grip on life. they say that we will be amazed at how well she will come off in this movie. she even sang. i know i saw her a couple of times last year and she kept saying to me, reverend, thank you for praying for me. we all knew and stood by her mother, cissy houston, who showed an incomparable strength to stand by her daughter, because whitney was our star. she was the one that was the diva that brought our music and culture to a whole other level. for this to happen is beyond words how we can respond. >> chaka, let me bring you into this. i know whitney sang backup with yo

sessions last for hours and days, right, to create what whitney houston did just in minutes. cord. i want whitney to be remembered as the greatest voice of all time. >> she invented a particular kind of american pop soul singing. what happened was she became so successful and her work so powerful in this chosen medium, there was a genre that coalesced around that kind of singing. the two greatest moments in her career are very specifically crossover moments in very interesting ways. ♪ and i will always love you >> "i will always love you" is a country song. it is a dolly parton song. ♪ will always love you >> it becomes a number one hit for 14 straight weeks, a record at the time. it is inescapable, and it's inescapable what she did with it. she made a country song into something else, and then she does the same thing in 1991 with "the star spangled banner". ♪ and the rockets' red glare ♪ the bombs bursting in air >> and can you say remaking this song, this national anthem into a dream of what america can be. >> just gives you goose bumps just to think about it, yeah. ♪ and th

we love whitney houston. ♪ make some noise for whitney >> i just want to say to whitney up in heaven, love you ♪ i will always love [ cheers and applause ] ♪ you ♪ whitney, we love ♪ we love you >> she nailed it. >> you can only imagine how tough that would have been. >> we actually ironically will see more of whitney. she has a movie she got done shooting coming out in august with jordin sparks. she plays the mother of a singer played by jordin sparks. they deal with the fallout of fame and drugs. how ironic is that? hits theaters in august. called "sparkle" is the name of the movie. >>> coming up next, whitney houston sits down with diane sawyer ten years ago. >> revealing interview. it's whitney on whitney, straight ahead on "world news now." for cleaner air and your right to breathe it. for those who want to quit smoking and for those who need them to. we're fighting for clear skies over every city and healthy lungs throughout the country. the american lung asassociatin isn't just fighting for air. 'rwe're fighting for all the things that make it worth breathing. join us in the fi

whitney houston, i will always love you. that's what we all would sing to her. an amazing talent. >> absolutely. whitney was like family to me. i have known her family and her forever. people are just -- it's rough. i know she is going to be remembered well. i hope that people think of the positive things about her and not too much is played upon about her problems. everybody has problems. she seemed that she was coming out of them and it was a tragic thing to lose her this way. i know she was looking so forward to being at clive's party this evening. that was why she was at the beverly hilton hotel in the first place. >> have you speaked to her mother, cissy? >> i reached out to her, but of course getting to her is practically impossible today. everybody is trying to get to her. i haven't been able to speak to her as yet. in the next day or so, i'm sure i will speak with her. and get a chance to give her my love and give her my hugs. that's what she needs. >> it's piers morgan in los angeles. we are getting extraordinary tribts being paid to whitney. what do yo

whitney houston filed for divorce a year later. hard living had finally confined houston's once limitless voice. >> before i put on my makeup ♪ >> she admitted that ultimately, bobby brown was her drug. an addiction to a love she couldn't quite break. for "cbs this morning," ben >>> whitney houston works with some of the greatest songwriters in the business. we'll ask one of them, diane warren, about the moment when she first got the news. you're watching "cbs this morning." eggland's best eggs. the best in nutrition... just got better. now with even more of the vitamins your body needs. like vitamin d. plus omega 3's. there's one important ingredient that hasn't changed: better taste. [ female announcer ] eggland's best. better taste. better nutrition. the better egg. freshly prepared by real cooks with our own secret recipes. pick up an 8 piece meal with 2 sides and 4 biscuits just $15.99. taste why fresh is better. [ man ] 4...3...2...1... mission accomplished. ♪ made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natura

distressed about what happened, but he has this huge event, which i imagine will become a memorial to whitney houstonstudio last night talking about whitney as being one of the greatest stars of them all, without any indication of what was going to be happening today. lord only knows what that man is going through. he could never have contemplated. we now have some tape of tony bennett who is at that event tonight. this is what he had to say. >> to have this happen, it's so tragic. it's terrible. she had a god-given gift of being a magnificent singer and great artist. >> can you speak about her impact on your industry? >> well, it's all personal, but i just, you know, to me she was one of the greatest singers ever i heard. and to have this happen is tragic. >> you've worked with some of the best vocalists. >> that's true. she was one of the greatest singers i ever heard. >> do you feel like you regret not getting as much opportunity to work with her in the past? >> it's one of the regrets i had because i always wanted to sing with her. >> unfortunately you won't be able to do that. >> right, i unders

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