In Hollywood, they say the show must go on.

And last night not even the death of one of the music industry's biggest names was enough to halt a pre-Grammy's party in Hollywood.

Clive Davis decided to press ahead with his annual soiree at the Beverly Hilton Hotel despite the fact his protege Whitney Houston died in the same establishment, mere hours earlier.

'The fact that it happened on this day, this event is where Clive Davis introduced Whitney to the world. We said hello to Whitney at the Clive Davis (gala), it may be appropriate we're saying our first goodbyes to Whitney at a Clive Davis event.

'In a weird way it's appropriate, the show must go on. I think Whitney would have wanted that to happen. ... Tonight I think we begin to celebrate and remember.'

Police received a 911 call from hotel security about Houston at 3:43 pm local time today. Paramedics who were already at the hotel because of a Grammy party unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, he said.

Houston's end came on the eve of music's biggest night - the Grammy Awards.

Mentor: Clive Davis said he was 'personally devastated' by Whitney's death as he addressed his guests at the event

Remembering the greats: Tony Bennett also spoke out about the deaths of Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse as he took to the stage at the pre-Grammys event

At her peak, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful, and peerless vocals that were rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like 'The Bodyguard' and 'Waiting to Exhale.'

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

'The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy,' Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

Houston has a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, 18, from her tumultous relationship with her ex husband Bobby Brown.

Minute's silence: Guests at the event pay their respects as a screen shows an image of Houston

Dramatic scene: Tonight party carried on as planned at the Beverly Hilton Hotel where Whitney died earlier today

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