Angela Bassett:
“I am so thankful to have been enveloped by the warmth of Whitney’s great talents. They were undeniable and vast,” Bassett, 53, tells MTV News in a statement. “Whatever her burdens, she has at last laid them down and picked up instead a crown. For truly, she was and will ever be for us — who were so captivated by her strengths — unparalleled.”
Loretta Devine:
“I am overwhelmed. I cannot wrap my mind around this. . . When we spoke last she had just finished Sparkle and she told me how excited she was to start production on Waiting to Exhale 2 with Angela, Lela [Rochon] and myself,” Devine said. “My prayers go out to her family and I am so honored for the time I spent working with her . . .I love you, Whitney, and I will miss your easy laugh.”
The Jasmine Brand caught up with actress Loretta Devine on the red carpet at the NAACP Image Awards this past weekend, and of course Whitney was on her mind…
TJB: What she’ll miss most about Whitney Houston:
“Being around her, being in her presence. I got a chance to talk to her, briefly, when she was out here and a couple months ago. And I just always felt so excited when I was around her. She always made you feel so special. She just bubbled and was a person that gushed with a lot of life and a lot of joy. I’m devastated that she’s gone.”
TJB: On continuing the “Waiting to Exhale” sequel, without Whitney:
“When I talked to Terry [McMillan], her mind isn’t on the film right now. She’s trying to get through this particular time. So much is being said by everybody, so we don’t know what’s going to happen with it. We hope it happens but there’s no way to know. Gregory Hines was also in the original and he’s gone so…”
In regards to “Waiting To Exhale”, the movie will go on. Read about it HERE!
. 
