Memories of Whitney fill pre-Grammys party; Hudson to lead Awards show tribute

Whitney Houston had been staying at the Beverly Hilton hotel because of the Saturday night Clive Own pre-Grammy Awards party, but the late singer died on Saturday afternoon, prior to the party; the party became less of a "party" in the aftermath of her death and more of a tribute to the once queen of pop.

Music producer Clive Davis's annual pre-Grammy Awards party is usually one of the most festive and fun-filled highlights of the week leading up to the music industry's top awards show. Owen himself, in opening remarks, said that despite the stunning news, which shocked the world, that Houston would have wanted the "show to go on." He said, "Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on."

Despite the somber tone, the mood turned more joyous, as performances and tributes turned the party in a fete for her memory.

Veteran singer and legend Tony Bennett started the evening off with a performance of "How Do You Keep The Music Playing." He also gave a speech that recalled the tragic deaths of others who had suffered from substance abuse in their lives and had been taken too early --- fairly recently, as well --- Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson. Ironically, Michael was often called the king of pop, and Whitney the queen.

Other performances and tributes from artists were forthcoming, including R&B singer Alicia Keys, rapper Sean Combs, veteran British rock band The Kinks, and relative newcomer and rising star Wiz Khalifa. The mood turned into more of an atmosphere of a wake, a celebration of the life of Whitney Houston, as guests remembered Houston and her effect on their lives and careers.

Combs, for one, said "Whitney Houston, simply put, had the greatest voice in the world. She was a gift of God. Hearing her sing was like listening to magic. If it wasn't for Clive Davis, the world may not have known about this miracle voice."

Non-singers held forth as well. Sir Richard Branson was awarded the Grammy organizers' President's Merit Award for his contributions to the music industry as the founder of the record label Virgin Music. Branson said, "While I'm honored to receive this award tonight, it's obviously about the celebration of an incredible singer and the loss of a friend, daughter, sister and mother," referring to Houston.

While the pre-Grammy Awards party was a tribute, so also will there be a tribute during the Grammy Awards 2012 themselves. The published plans, which may change, as the news is quite fluid, is for Jennifer Hudson to lead the tribute. It's also said that Chaka Khan will be there as well. The awards show's executive producer, Ken Ehrlich, announced on CNN, however, that the show would not be "completely" changed due to the death of the pop star.

“Our plan at this point, I’ve asked Jennifer Hudson to come. We’re really, at this point, talking about what she’s going to do, but it will be something respectful. It's too fresh in everyone's memory to do more at this time, but we would be remiss if we didn't recognize Whitney's remarkable contribution to music fans in general, and in particular her close ties with the Grammy telecast and her Grammy wins and nominations over the years.

“We’ve already actually gone through the script and made a few changes just to make sure the tone is right. There are some shifts we wanted to make script-wise that probably make it a little more appropriate to what’s happened.”

Whitney Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. on Saturday arfternoon. She was 48.

You can watch video from the Clive own pre-Grammy Awards party below.

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Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

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