Christina Aguilera: 'Whitney's voice was so special to me; her notes soared...'

Whitney waving at 2011 Pre-Grammy Gala

REUTERS/Phil McCarten

Whitney Houston attends the Pre-Grammy Gala & Salute to Industry Icons with Clive Davis in Beverly Hills on Feb. 12, 2011.

(CNN) -

The sudden death of singer Whitney Houston at age 48 shocked fans and musicians all over the world. The outpouring of grief was immediate, with one common refrain: The world had lost one of its greatest singers.

Nearly all of the trends on Twitter worldwide were shortly associated with the singer's death: R.I.P Whitney Houston, #DearWhitney, #IWillAlwaysLoveYou, The Bodyguard, Bobby Brown and Wanna Dance With Somebody.

"The first full hour after the news broke saw 2,481,652 tweets and retweets, peaking at 61,227 tweets at 5:23 p.m. (all times are PST)," according to Topsy.com, which indexes and ranks results based on the most influential conversations on social media

"That is over a thousand tweets a second, not quite as much as during the Superbowl but still a lot."

Russell Simmons:

"My thoughts and prayers are with her beautiful child and her entire family. This is a tough time for the entire music community, as we all loved Whitney. May she rest in peace and may we all dance with somebody tonight."

! Barry Ma nilow:

"My heart goes out to her family, to Clive (Davis, Houston's mentor), and to everyone who knew and loved this amazingly talented and beautiful artist. I will always love her."

Christina Aguilera:

"Whitney's voice was so special to me. Her notes soared to places most singers dream of reaching. She will be missed."

Kelly Rowland:

"I am beyond heartbroken. Whitney Houston was undoubtedly one of the greatest singers and performers of all time and such a huge influence on me."

Mariah Carey:

"Heartbroken and in tears ... My heartfelt condolences to Whitney's family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth."

Smokey Robinson:

"I've known Whitney since she was a little girl and I loved her. She was like family to me. I will miss her."

Gloria Estefan:

"Sending prayers of peace and solace to her family, friends & fans! Such a loss!Whitney was always so sweet to me! Was rooting for her through her struggles! Such a shame ... I'm truly saddened by this news!"

Aretha Franklin:

"I just can't talk about it now. It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen."


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