This Just In
Fans, celebrities react to Whitney Houston's death: 'We will always love you'
February 11th, 2012
08:53 PM ET

Fans, celebrities react to Whitney Houston's death: 'We will always love you'

Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston has died at age 48, representative Kristen Foster said Saturday night.

The cause of death and where she died were not immediately known. In May 2011, Houston got help for her much-publicized struggle with drugs and alcohol, her representative said at the time.

According to her official website, Houston, who struggled with addiction problems over the years, sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos over her career.

As news of her death spread online her fans and celebrities tweeted that they were absolutely shocked and saddened at the news.

iReport: Share your memories 

Tributes began flooding in almost immediately as people began expressing their shock at the news. Nearly all of the trends on Twitter worldwide were shortly associated with the singer's death. Among them: R.I.P Whitney Houston, #DearWhitney, #IWillAlwaysLoveYou, The Bodyguard, Bobby Brown and Wanna Dance With Somebody.

"The first full hour after the news broke saw 2,481,652 tweets and retweets, peaking at 61,227 tweets at 5:23 p.m. (all times are PST)," according to Topsy.com. "That is over a thousand tweets a second, not quite as much as during the Superbowl but still a lot."

Whitney Houston is shown trending around the entire globe Saturday night after news of her death.

Houston had been in Los Angeles and Grammy rehearsal parties were taking place one night before the music industry's biggest event. Stunned celebrities heard about the news all together.

Mariah Carey, who famously performed a duet with Houston on "When You Believe" was stunned by the news.

LaToya Jackson also took to Twitter to express her condolences to Houston's family. She and the rest of her family have gone through the turmoil of dealing with the sudden death of the King of Pop Michael Jackson.

The news of Houston's death brought many people back to their childhood and reminisced on all of the ways Houston's music had entered their lives. Whether it was their love of a literal soundtrack, like "The Bodyguard," or the songs that were so embedded into their  souls that ie became soundtrack to their lives, fans shared their sadness at the loss.

Many also wanted to share their favorite memories of Whitney Houston, sparking the trend #FavoriteWhitneySong.

#FavoriteWhitneySong: What's yours?

For some fellow artists, the news hit at their core. Houston, for them, was not only an icon but also an inspiration for many.

Newark's mayor Cory Booker even took to Twitter to pay tribute to one of New Jersey's greatest starts.

The tributes and reaction continue to flood in at an unbelievable pace. Among them:

 
 Post by:
Filed under: Music • Showbiz • Whitney Houston
soundoff (301 Responses)
  1. lashong

    i think they could have handled bobby brown better than they did. that was his ex-wife & the mother of his child but one thing bobby they cant take yall love and your memories away.bobbi christina your mom was they best baby girl stay strong and prayed up

    February 18, 2012 at 4:11 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  2. jdf76

    So Sad ... America wrings their hands, crys, and laments for a Coke Head, Meth Head, Crack Head, and Dope Head. Granted, she had a moment of "light" in the 80s and 90s. Lord Help ... We all must be compelled to love Whitney, and Elvis, Jimmie Hendrix, Janice Joplin,Jim Morrison, Amy Whinehouse, and many others because talent, fame, and wealth took them down the wrong path!! A sad testimate for our society :( Please, CNN ... Give us the NEWS ... Not "Whitney 24-7 TV" !

    February 18, 2012 at 4:21 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  3. carode

    We will always love you WHITNEY......and always miss your voice and performans. Be with god in peace.

    February 19, 2012 at 2:32 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  4. Home Going Celebrated

    Beautiful service, wonderful worship as Whitney was remembered in her home going celebration. I was reminded that God gives us gifts to share with the world. He grants love and forgiveness. He requires faith and belief, not perfection. Thank you, Cissy for sharing Whitney's home going celebration with the world.

    February 19, 2012 at 5:21 pm | Report abuse | Reply
  5. McSpung

    Whitney enjoyed the drugs. People should be allowed to enjoy life how they want to. So what if she didn't live to see 100 years. Once you enjoy life once, it lasts forever. Mulitple enjoyment is still just enjoyment. Don't make plans for anyone but yourselves. RIP girl.

    February 20, 2012 at 7:22 am | Report abuse | Reply
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Post a comment


  

CNN welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the Rules of Conduct set forth in our Terms of Service. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Service.

« Back to main