Whitney Houston’s life was on the upswing as evidenced by “Celebrate,” the last song she ever recorded. She sang the duet for her movie “Sparkle” with Jordin Sparks, who led a tribute to Houston at the Billboard Music Awards.
Daughter Bobbi Kristina was moved to tears when Sparks sang Houston’s signature song, “I Will Always Love You,” from the her movie “The Bodyguard.”
John Legend also participated in the tribute.
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Afterward, Bobbi Kristina and Whitney’s sister-in-law Pat Houston took to the stage to accept a posthumous award for her achievements.
Whitney performed the duet just 4 days before her death in February on the eve of the Grammy awards. The cause of death was found to be a cocaine related drowning. Houston struggled with drug abuse for years, but had vowed to make a comeback.
In “Sparkle,” a remake of a 1976 film by the same name, Houston plays the mother of three musically inclined daughters, who must grapple with all of the baggage that comes with fame. The movie is loosely based on the 60s pop group The Supremes, led by Diana Ross.
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Sparks plays one of her daughters.
The upbeat “Celebrate” was written by R&B artist R. Kelly. Producer Harvey Mason Jr. told People that Houston was “really positive” during the recording session.
“We ended the session dancing around the control room while she said ‘Turn it up! Turn it up!’ She was so fun-loving,” he said.
The movie hits theaters in August. Check out the clip below.