Whitney Houston honoured by famed fans at tribute show

Celebrity fans of the late Whitney Houston gathered in Los Angeles to honour her memory at a special tribute evening.

The music-filled show, entitled We Will Always Love You: A Grammy Salute to Whitney Houston, was recorded for later broadcast in November.

Houston, 48, died in February on the eve of the 2012 Grammy Awards. Coroner's officials later revealed that the singer and actress — who had been a chronic cocaine user and suffered heart disease — had accidentally drowned in a hotel bathroom. Though the following night's Grammy Awards broadcast included quickly arranged tributes to Houston, organizers subsequently announced plans for a stand-alone event.

Actors Halle Berry and LL Cool J, singers Britney Spears and Usher and gospel stars CeCe Winans and Yolanda Adams were among those who took the stage at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday to honour Houston.

Singer Jennifer Hudson, who delivered an emotional version of I Will Always Love You — the Dolly Parton-penned ballad that became known as Houston's signature song — at the Grammys, performed a medley of the late singer's more upbeat pop hits, including How Will I Know and I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Canadian singer Céline Dion was on the bill, but unable to attend. Instead, she recorded a cover of Houston's The Greatest Love of All for the tribute, which will air as a one-hour special on CBS in mid-November.

Along with musical performances and shared remembrances of the singer, the Los Angeles audience watched interview footage of the late singer and actress (The Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale, Sparkle) as she talked about her career, fame and her philosophy in life.

Music executive Clive Davis, who discovered Houston, attended, along with the singer's daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown.