Chaka Khan and Jennifer Hudson will take the Grammy stage tonight to pay tribute to Whitney Houston.
Houston died Saturday at 48 years old. The singer was reportedly found dead in a bathtub Saturday at the Beverly Hilton in California.
Khan and Hudson had ties with the late singer and will reportedly lead the tribute Sunday at the 2012 Grammy Awards.
“I’m speechless…I’m in shock right now. Just pray for her and the family,” tweeted Khan as she got word of Houston’s death.
“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,” Grammy executive producer Ken Ehrlich told the Los Angeles Times.
Houston’s death was just one day shy of the Grammy Awards, a show that frequently honored her until her successful singing career took a backseat to alleged drug abuse and a tumultuous relationship with singer Bobby Brown that lasted until 2007.
Houston was never truly able to get back to where she was when she produced such hits like “I Will Always Love You” and “I Want To Dance With Somebody.”
“The biggest devil is me. I’m either my best friend or my worst enemy,” Houston once said during a 2002 interview.
Saturday, Houston was found dead in her hotel room. While help was on the scene within minutes, they were unsuccessful at reviving her and Houston was pronounced dead minutes.
Kristen Foster, a publicist for Houston said the cause of death was unknown Saturday and according to reports, there were no signs of criminal intent though authorities are still investigating.
The actual cause of death will be determined by the L.A. Co. Coroner’s Office.
While the cause of death is currently unknown, some believe the singer drowned in her bathtub. According to TMZ, the singer was taking Xanax, evidence she may have fallen asleep in the bathtub where she died.
