Lador Frank shares the latest news in the gospel industry every Wednesday and Friday with Cedric Bailey on Rejoice Musical Soul Food. This week report is about the loss of Whitney Houston. Gospel Singer Kim Burrell shared the following statement about their relationship. Burrell and Houston were supposed to attend Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party together before the 48-year old singer was found dead in her bathtub on Feb. 11 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for reasons not yet known. The last time Burrell heard Houston's voice was on Saturday when the megastar left a voicemail message, eagerly awaiting her good friend's arrival in California. "She left a message at about 2 o'clock. She said 'Kimi, where are you? I need to see you. Call me back. And when I did try to call her back there was no more and it doesn't feel good. It will never feel good." During the message, Burrell said she could hear Gospel music playing in the background and Houston sounded like her typical happy self. "She was in great spirits, she was singing," the pastor noted. "I was on my way to see her and I ended up going to the hotel but I was a little too late." When asked if it sounded like Houston needed to talk to her about something in particular, Burrell believed that her comment was not necessarily saying anything, but that she just wanted to hug and see her friend. "She loved me dearly and I loved her and we just wanted to see each other and hug each other and love each other." The two friends performed a duet together last year at BET's Celebration of Gospel, singing Houston's hit song "I Look to You." After the performance, Houston called Burrell that night and said, "Kim, I needed to do that. It felt good. And I thank God that we had an opportunity to do it together." The Grammy-award singer then flew to Burrell's home in Houston where they watched the performance over and over again as if they had never seen it before. As they continued to replay the song, Houston said, "Look at God. Listen to God. Look at God on us." "We shared that moment in my living room," Burrell recalled. Phillips asked Burrell why it was so difficult for people like Houston who struggled with addiction to hold on to a spiritual power and beat their demons. "You know demonic forces are strong and they are persistent and consistent and every day the word of the Lord declares that we have a struggle with our flesh and our spirit," The Love Album singer responded. "It's a constant battle but today the Lord woke me up in Psalm 46 and said 'God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble' and I saw God be that for [Houston] ... very present in the time of trouble for her." "Whitney was an amazing person and she had such a heart for music and the world," Burrell concluded. "She was the absolute best and I will love her forever." In closing, We all know someone that is struggling with some addict problems. Let us continue to keep them uplifted in prayer. Cedric Bailey Afternoon Host www.musicalsoulfood.com

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