Kevin Costner and Jennifer Hudson bring viewers to tears with emotional tribute to Whitney Houston

Publish Date: Friday, 10 February 2023, 5:42PM

Taking to the stage at the annual Clive Davis Grammy party, Kevin Costner and Jennifer Hudson joined forces to pay a heartfelt tribute to the late Whitney Houston 11 years after her death.

Wearing a floor-length silver sequin dress, the 41-year-old American Idol alumni belted out a stunning rendition of Hudson's 1986 classic song 'Greatest Love of All'.

Following the performance, Costner, who starred alongside Houston in The Bodyguard, brought viewers to tears with an emotional speech.

Speaking directly to his old friend Davis in the audience, the actor said: "We were both struck by Whitney the first time we first met her.

"Whitney would be our common ground ... Whitney had become the most celebrated singer of her generation, but she was an untrained actress and it was unclear if this was something she should aspire to or even something that was good for her career. All three of us would take a huge leap."

He continued, referencing Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' for the film's soundtrack: "From that moment we all worked as one collective... so powerful that for one moment in time, the entire world seemed focused on this one country song ...

"Maybe this isn't the room for it, but I don't want to miss the moment. And it's, uh, from the heart," he concluded.

"Neither one of us, in the end, could protect your beloved Whitney. But your fingerprints on her life are clean, my friend. You were a miracle in her life. Thank you for being her bodyguard, Clive."

Houston passed away on February 11, 2012, in her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

On March 22, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office reported that her death was caused by drowning and the "effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use".

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