tribute (59 posts)

Dave J Hogan/Getty Image; Richard Young/startraksphoto.com

There's no shortage of heartfelt tributes to Whitney Houston following her shocking death two weeks ago, with celebs remembering the pop icon in prose, in song and on stage.

One star who reportedly paid homage to Houston? Jermaine Jackson.

News surfaced last week that Michael Jackson's older brother released a song dedicated exclusively to her, titled "The First Time You Love."

The two were good friends—ET even has this video of the duo singing a duet back in 1984.

A musical tribute from Jackson would certainly be poetic, if only it wasn't…

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David Corio/Redferns

May Whitney Houston find the peace that eluded her in life.

Friends and family said a final farewell to the iconic pop singer Sunday at a private, invite-only burial at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, N.J., where Houston was laid to rest next to her father, John Russell Houston Jr.

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On any other day, this would have just been a who's who of R&B, soul, pop and gospel luminaries.

But the impressive number of stars gathered Saturday at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., were paying tribute and saying their goodbyes to Whitney Houston, whose sudden death a week ago rocked the music world.

Hundreds of mourners, among them Tyler Perry, Mary J. Blige, Kevin Costner, Clive Davis, Dionne Warwick, Alicia Keys and Newark mayor Cory Booker attended the private funeral, which started shortly after noon.

Houston's ex-husband, Bobby Brown, who vowed to be there in support of their 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, arrived at the church but left shortly thereafter. Brown was spotted being consoled by fellow mourners before leaving. Although there were reports that Brown was not permitted inside the building, Brown subsequently released a statement saying that he and his children had been asked to change seats several times and that he was prevented from seeing Bobbi Kristina, and thus "departed as I refused to create a scene."

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We're on the scene at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, N.J., and will be bringing you updates as they happen, as the world remembers the singular pop icon. (All times are Eastern.)

3:58 p.m. Guests begin to file out of the church. A VIP reception is being held at One Newark Center, where guests including Perry and Costner are expected to attend.

3:55 p.m. "I Will Always Love You" is played on the sound system, filling the church with Houston's incomparable voice as pallbearers carry her casket down the aisle and outside the building.

3:04 p.m. Rev. Marvin Winans, who officiated at Houston's marriage to Brown, delivers a galvanizing eulogy. As he wraps up, he says: "Father, we thank you for this life of Whitney Elizabeth 'Nippy' Houston. We thank you that she was a dear friend, and we echo all the sentiments of those who have come to show their love...Let us leave here recognizing that Whitney left too soon. Let us leave here impacted by her life." He then launches into a tender rendition of "Let the Church Say Amen," as the choir joins him in song.

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Knowing the process won't get any easier as the weekend progresses, friends and family started saying their goodbyes to Whitney Houston tonight.

Guests including Houston's mother Cissy, daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown and record mogul Clive Davis started arriving at the Whigham Funeral Home in Newark for an intimate, private wake at around 5 p.m. ET.

The family arrived in a gold limousine and Cissy and Bobbi Kristina held hands as they walked in together.

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John Shearer/WireImage

Where do broken hearts go, indeed.

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards had already started off in singular fashion, with LL Cool J offering up a prayer for the late, beyond-great Whitney Houston following Bruce Springsteen's show-opening performance.

But the most wrenching, yet paradoxically uplifting, moment of the night belonged to Jennifer Hudson, who overnight was tasked with presiding over the musical tribute to Houston, who died just yesterday afternoon.

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Whitney Houston's untimely death shocked and saddened Hollywood's elite at Clive Davis' annual Grammy party Saturday, but her songs will always bring joy to our hearts. 

While Jennifer Hudson, and Glee's Matthew Morrison and Amber Riley are awarding the late legend tributes of their own, E! Online is taking a moment to look back on Whitney's five ultimate classic hits.

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When Don Cornelius promised the "hottest jams and stars in the world," he wasn't messing around.

The creator and longtime face of Soul Train may be gone, but he made a lasting impact on pop culture with his R&B-championing song-and-dance show and subsequent Soul Train Music Awards.

Over the show's 35 years on the air, some of the biggest names in music hit the stage that Cornelius built, from Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin to R. Kelly and T.I.. It's pretty much impossible to narrow it down, but here are five other acts who boarded the train early in their careers—and rode it right to superstardom:

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Christina Aguilera paid her respects to the late blues, jazz and rock legend Etta James at her funeral Saturday at Greater Bethany Community Church in Gardena, Calif., belting out her rendition of the singer's classic tune "At Last."

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Sara De Boer/startraksphoto.com

Michael Jackson the man wasn't invincible. But his legacy is now solid as a rock.

The late pop icon's children imprinted some of their father's most famous accessories—his sparkly glove and shiny black shoes—in the cement in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre today on Hollywood Boulevard.

Mom Katherine Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Chris Tucker and Justin Bieber were in attendance at the ceremony, which also featured a performance by the cast of Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.

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