Singer Jennifer Hudson couldn’t hold back the tears last night, as she led an emotional tribute to late star Whitney Houston at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
The 30-year-old stepped in to deliver the moving performance after news broke over the weekend that the Greatest Love of All singer had been found dead in a Los Angeles Hotel on February 11.
Looking stunning in a fitted black dress with white panelling, Jennifer performed her version of Whitney’s most famous hit, I Will Always Love You.
Giving a pitch-perfect rendition of the moving ballad, many commented on the similarities between Jennifer’s performance, and Whitney’s 20 years ago, at the 34th Grammy Awards.
Jennifer looked upset throughout the performance and blinked back tears, before finally breaking down on stage.
It was hardly surprising that the star had to fight to keep her emotions under control, considering news of Whitney’s death had only emerged just hours earlier.
The legendary singer was found dead in her room at the Los Angeles hotel the Beverly Hilton at 3.55pm local time.
She was reportedly found dead in the bathtub by horrified members of her entourage, who alerted the emergency services, who then tried to resuscitate the star. But Whitney could not be saved.
The cause of death has not yet been established, and police said there were no "obvious signs" of any criminal intent in relation to Houston's death.
Reports surfaced claiming that various bottles of prescription pills had been found in Whitney’s hotel room, but police would not confirm this.
Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter has confirmed that a post mortem has been completed, but said specific details would not be released following a request from detectives investigating the death.
He told reporters: "No foul play is suspected at this time," before adding that a probable cause of death was not expected to be established for six to eight weeks pending toxicology reports.
Whitney died just hours before she was due to attend her mentor Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party, and just two days before the 54th Grammy Awards. In the days before her death she had been working with singers Brandy and Monica, giving them tips on their performance at the awards ceremony.
Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party went ahead on Saturday night despite the terrible news, and those paying tribute to Houston included R&B singer Alicia Keys, telling the audience how her "idol" had inspired her own career. Sean “Diddy” Combs also spoke about the star.
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