{"id":865342,"date":"2025-08-15T02:11:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T07:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/15\/whitney-houston-40th-anniversary-in-music-and-entertainment-gala\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T02:11:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T07:11:55","slug":"whitney-houston-40th-anniversary-in-music-and-entertainment-gala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/15\/whitney-houston-40th-anniversary-in-music-and-entertainment-gala\/","title":{"rendered":"Whitney Houston 40th Anniversary In Music And Entertainment\u00a0Gala"},"content":{"rendered":"

Entertainment <\/p>\n

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“Whitney was the best and she deserved the best,” said Pat Houston.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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\"Entertainment<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tParas Griffin\/Getty Images for The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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On what would\u2019ve been Whitney Houston<\/a>\u2018s 62nd birthday, her family, friends, and fans celebrated the 40th anniversary of her music\/entertainment career.<\/p>\n

The Whitney E. Houston Legacy of Love Gala<\/a> was held on Saturday (Aug. 9) at the St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia and hosted by Entertainment Tonight\u2019<\/em>s Kevin Frazier and Pat Houston<\/a>. The four-hour celebration included a silent auction<\/a>, video tributes, musical performances featuring Jennifer Hudson and more, along with a series of presentations.<\/p>\n

The auction included special mementos, including Dolly Parton\u2019s personalized autographed sheet music for \u201cI Will Always Love You,<\/a>\u201d signed jerseys, Mike Tyson\u2019s autographed boxing gloves, and concert packages. All proceeds from the auction went towards The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation, which is dedicated to \u201csupporting scholarships, arts education, supportive services, and youth empowerment programs\u2014particularly for underserved and underrepresented communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video tributes poured in from Clive Davis, Whoopi Goldberg, Kelly Clarkson, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Harvey Mason, Jr., LA Reid<\/a>, Larry Jackson<\/a>, Debra Martin Chase<\/a>, and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Whitney Houston Legacy of Love Gala was epic,\u201d Pat Houston said of the gala in a statement. \u201cI know that Whitney would have been pleased with the year-long celebration thus far. Whitney was the best and she deserved the best. There are millions of supporters and fans who celebrate her everyday worldwide and we do not take that for granted. We plan to continue to honor her legacy and support the various platforms that were close and dear to her heart: music, children, young adults, and the global community.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cWe would like to give a special thank you to Jennifer Hudson for giving her love, time, and passion in honor of Whitney and her legacy. We are very grateful to all the talent that was part of this celebration. It was an incredible evening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson sang a riveting medley of \u201cI\u2019m Every Woman<\/a>,\u201d \u201cHow Will I Know,\u201d \u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),\u201d \u201cSaving All My Love,\u201d and her Oscar winning rendition of \u201cAnd I Am Telling You I\u2019m Not Going.\u201d In addition to Hudson, guests also witnessed performances from Meli\u2019sa Morgan, who performed Houston\u2019s 1985 hit, \u201cThinking About You,\u201d and her own 1986 classic, \u201cFool\u2019s Paradise.\u201d Jimmy Avance, winner of The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation\u2019s Annual Cover Song Competition, performed \u201cWhere Do Broken Hearts Go\u201d while rising star Jada Nikole performed \u201cRun to You.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra previewed their upcoming North America Fall Tour titled \u201cThe Voice of Whitney: A Symphonic Celebration\u201d with a medley of <\/a>\u201cI Loves You, Porgy,\u201d \u201cAnd I Am Telling You I\u2019m Not Going,\u201d \u201cI Have Nothing\u201d, and \u201cIt\u2019s Not Right but It\u2019s Okay.\u201d Gary Houston closed out the performances with \u201cWhere You Are\u201d with help from loved ones.<\/p>\n

Check out more highlights from the evening below.<\/p>\n