On the night when Kayne West has seven nominations, the Grammy Awards has a somber tone. Not because the artist with the most scandalous background is dominating the event but because the day before the world lost the legendary singer Whitney Houston. While show producers had been planning to do a big tribute to Etta James (who also died in the past year), they had to scramble to put together a fitting tribute to one of the greatest female voices in modern history. Here’s the latest news from star celebs on the red carpet about how the music community is handling the disturbing news the icon died at a young 48-years-old….
Producers for the Grammys 2012 were up all night scrambling trying to figure out how to handle the delicate subject. During final rehearsals star celebs and guest performers heard the news that one of the greatest singing voices of all time was silenced way too soon. Whitney Houston was discovered over thirty years ago and had won six Grammy awards. The mood of the event was odd, with some performers who were friends with the star crying and others who simply loved her work celebrating her life by singing her songs.
While no cause of death has been released, a few details about how Whitney Houston died have emerged. She was found unconscious and without vitals lying in a bathtub at the Beverly Hills Hilton. Police are not sure whether or not an autopsy will be performed. The decision will be made pending the results of a toxicology report.
One of the ways Hollywood is dealing with the tragedy is by tweeting their condolences to the family and expressing loving thoughts by sharing memories of Whitney. Big names stars like Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand, and Mariah Carey say they were broken up to hear that Whitney passed away.
Ex-husband and daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown were the most affected. Bobby Brown sent a message out on behalf of the family asking for privacy at this time. Krissi, Whitney Houston’s daughter, had been at several pre-Grammy parties with her famous mother. In total distress after hearing about her mother’s death and being turned away from seeing the body, Bobbi Kristina was hospitalized briefly herself for stress and anxiety.
Songwriters say that at her peak, Whitney Houston was better than anyone to work with; not only do they say she was a lovely person, they say she truly put her heart into the music.
Grammy red carpet host Chris Harrison, most famous for hosting The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, was working for TV Guide interviewing stars.
Bonnie Raitt said she was an inspiration to country music stars and pop singers, opening the door to the R&B world in such a special way. She was delighted to hear Grammy host L.L. Cool J was planning a very special memorial segment. Jennifer Hudson and Chaka Khan were passed the torch to sing her tunes as so many of her close personal friends were too shaken to perform her tunes just a short 24 hours after news of her death had been confirmed.
Cyndi Lauper told him she was very sad about Whitney and said, “I think we will always remember Whitney… but I think we all should celebrate life.”
Kathy Griffin and Chris Harrison agreed that Whitney’s death was making the event terribly awkward. The comedienne said all joking aside, there would be no jokes from her about the trajedy. The day Houston died, she was supposed to sing at Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy party. When guest arrived they were told about the tragedy. Griffin was in attendance and said Alicia Keyes told a great story about her at the Davis party. Her celebrity friends also had a moment of silence for their fallen idol.
Griffin said Houston represented so much about what the Grammys mean and what it means to be a living legend. Confessing more, she said even her elderly mother called her to tell her the sad news right away when she found out about it. In those few words, she summed up Whitney Houston’s power and presence. Loved by all generations, her voice and songs touched everyone’s life — even if they could only sing a few bars of a hit song or hum along to one of the moving melodies she once sang that made her famous.
Billy Ray Cyrus (of all people) had kind words to say to Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina, saying the singer really did sing the songs that were the background music to all our lives. As the father of Miley Cyrus,it seemed as if he could empathize with what the young girl might be feeling and said the words her mother probably would have wanted her to hear.
L.L. Cool J says he wants to make sure she gets the love and respect she deserves. His quandary was how to show respect to Whitney without laying a cloud of despair over the festivities for the rest of the nominees and award winners. Show producer Neil Portnow said what is true by nature for the music community is they are able to improvise and that they are proud to do the tribute for Whitney with love on Grammy Awards night.
Saying she was the voice of a generation, he says they plan to do their best to give her the tribute that she deserves — but was worried that he would not be able to please everybody with less than one night to prepare something as a tribute for her. Everyone agreed that there was definitely going to be a bit of a somber tone as the Grammys 2012 involved a tribute to both Etta James and Whitney Houston, but attendees were also pleased to hear the theme of love and Valentines day would also be given a nod to bring cheer.
Valentines Day is February 14th, making the event somewhat surreal. Fortunately, they elected to start the night with Bruce Springstein. It was a refreshing change of pace (to celebrate rather than mourn), as TV Guide Network Red Carpet Host Chris Harrison started almost every celebrity interview segment asking star celebs about how they were reacting to news that Whitney Houston had passed. Since most of Whitney’s songs were about love, one would expect she’s be pleased to see people smile and celebrate her career with joy rather than such somberness.
Whitney Houston, despite her drug problems, tried to use he star power wisely. She was one of the most famous celebrities to support the Red Cross organization.