We are going to remember the passing of Whitney Houston forever. Even more, we are going to remember exactly what we were doing when we heard the tragic news.
Being compared to the deaths of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and even Marilyn Monroe, Whitney is undoubtedly a cultural icon and will be remembered that way forever.
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As friends and peers of Whitney, celebrities were hit by the news and like all of her fans, didn’t want to believe it. It’s one of those memories that will sadly be frozen in time.
We were on the red carpet last night at the NAACP Image awards and some of our favorite stars shared what they were doing when they heard the news, as well as some thoughts about Whitney…
Ne-Yo: I was actually getting dressed for the Clive Davis party [where Whitney was scheduled to be] and I thought it was a joke and I got a text message about it and I thought it was one of the 100,000 rumors and then I saw it on CNN. It was surreal and it still is surreal to fathom that she is gone
Jill Scott: Whitney brought grace and beauty and a talent that’s unparalleled.
Holly Robinson Peete: I was in NY about to renew my vows of 17 years on top of the Empire State building. It was a friend of mine, my make-up artist [who told me]. He was on his way to meet Gayle King and he goes, ‘I’m hearing this on the radio, is this true?’ and I was like, ‘Adam, this cannot be true’ and unfortunately, it was and I just broke down. She meant so much to me, outside of an inspiration to everybody, she was a friend and she was somebody that was always embracing me and I loved her.
Viola Davis: I think everyone misses her presence. The thing about great art is it transforms your life and you know you will never be the same again. It doesn’t matter who comes after her, you’re going to always remember the songbird.
Kirk Franklin: Just like everyone else I was angry, frustrated and confused. I went through the emotions of that moment.
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