BET Awards 2012: Whitney Houston Tributed By Mariah Carey, Brandy, Monica & Cissy Houston

During the the BET Awards in Los Angeles, Mariah Carey did the honor of delivering a touching speech about her late friend Whitney Houston, who died on February 11. “The first time I heard Whitney’s voice, I was mesmerized, like the rest of the world,” Carey said after walking on stage. The songstress went on to state that she was captivated by “the power in [Houston’s] range, the richness of her tone and her unique ability to wrap a lyric emotion.”

Those who also paid tribute to Houston at the awards show included Monica, who performed gospel number “I Love The Lord”, and Brandy, who tackled Whitney classics “I’m Your Baby Tonight” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. Houston’s brother Gary followed up with “Where You Are” before Whitney’s mother Cissy sang a moving rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Catch Mariah’s speech above, and the Whitney tribute performances below.

While discussing her memories of Houston, Carey playfully broached the subject of the perceived rivalry she and Whitney had back in the 1990s. “One thing that we all know is that Whitney was not to be toyed with, okay,” she joked, before discussing “When You Believe”, the pair’s 1998 Prince Of Egypt duet.

“We got to spend a lot of time together as we promoted it, and we really got to know each other as people, not divas,” said Mariah.

Mimi got emotional when she noted, “I miss my friend. I miss hearing her voice and laughter. But we’ll always have the music. We’ll always have that voice we all fell in love with.”

Brandy, Monica, Gary Houston, Cissy Houston & Chaka Khan tribute Whitney Houston at BET Awards