Simon Cowell has compared Whitney Houston's death to that of Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse, revealing that he was in discussions regarding her joining X Factor USA.
Houston, who passed away on Saturday night (Feb 11), was greatly admired by Cowell and was a huge influence on many an X Factor hopeful
Speaking in an interview with Sky shortly after her death was announced, Cowell said: 'There are always moments in your life that are horrible to remember. The day John Lennon died, the day Elvis died.
Adding: 'More recently Michael Jackson, last year Amy Winehouse and now Whitney. I know quite a few people who had been working with her over the years. We all knew Whitney had issues.
'Whitney was a true diva, but I use that in the nicest possible way. She had one of the best voices I heard in my life ever.'
Meanwhile, in a second interview with Piers Morgan for CNN Cowell revealed he was due to meet with Whitney to discuss the X Factor USA judges role left vacant by Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul.
'We were ironically going to meet on Monday and of course one of the names we were going to be talking about in that meeting as a possible mentor on the new series of X Factor was going to be Whitney,' he said.
'Given the choice, I would have liked to have taken her under my wing as well, because she would have been the ultimate, ultimate mentor to any contestant coming on the show.'
A cause of death for Whitney Houston is not yet known, though it has been reported that she drowned in her hotel bathroom.
Whitney Houston 1963 - 2011
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