Motown reacts to Whitney Houston's death

DETROIT – Motown is mourning the loss of legendary singer Whitney Houston.

In the fall, Houston spent several weeks filming the movie Sparkle in Detroit. Most of the movie was shot in Detroit's Indian Village where several houses were rented for interior and exterior shots.

"It's heart breaking. It really really is. My dad had some experience with Whitney, they did some work together years ago," said Brandon Williams, who worked with Houston.

Williams dream job is memorialized in a People Magazine picture just published a few weeks ago. He plays a military officer in the remake of Sparkle that Whitney Houston and the reverend T.D. Jakes bankrolled and produced. Williams kept plenty of fond memories from the shoot in his cell phone.

"One time she pulled me over and saying I was her officer man, saying how pretty my eyes were, and we just joked and laughed," said Williams.

Houston shined in the 1992 movie The Body Guard and during that time, her music career was on top. The new movie Sparkle could have shown the world she still had it.

"Everybody wanted to sing like Whitney Houston. She had so much power and so much range in most of her songs," said Williams.

Houston's life had recently been troubled, including publicized drug use. Her cause of death at age 48 has not been released.

"She could have relapsed and been using again. I mean anything could have happened. We don't know it could be natural," said Williams.

The movie Sparkle finished shooting in Indian Village and in downtown Detroit in November. Sparkle is scheduled to release in August.