Jennifer Hudson to pay tribute to Whitney Houston at Grammy’s

Singer Jennifer Hudson is scheduled to perform a special tribute for Whitney Houston at the Grammy’s, organizers said.

Jennifer Hudson Whitney Houston tribute

Houston’s longtime mentor Clive Davis went ahead with his annual concert at the same hotel where her body was found. He dedicated the evening to her and asked for a moment of silence as a photo of the singer, hands wide open, looking to the sky, appeared on the screen.

Houston was supposed to appear at the gala, and Davis had told The Associated Press that she would perhaps perform: “It’s her favorite night of the year … [so] who knows by the end of the evening,” he said.

Houston had been at rehearsals for the show Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a person who was at the event but was not authorized to speak publicly about it. The person said Houston looked disheveled, was sweating profusely and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath.

Two days ago, she performed at a pre-Grammy party with singer Kelly Price.

“I just can’t talk about it now,” Houston’s godmother, Aretha Franklin, said in a short statement. “It’s so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn’t believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen.”

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