Award-winning singer, actress and talk show host Jennifer Hudson will deliver a special performance at the fourth annual Whitney E. Houston Legacy of Love Gala.
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the late singer’s history-making career, the gala will take place Aug. 9 — on what would have been Whitney Houston’s 62nd birthday — at the St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta, presented by The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation and Primary Wave Music. The event’s honorary chair is music industry legend Clive Davis, chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment.
In addition to headliner Hudson, the musical portion of the gala will feature R&B singer/songwriter Meli’sa Morgan, who sang on Houston’s self-titled debut album; Jimmy Vance, winner of The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation’s second annual Cover Song Competition; and a special performance by a symphony orchestra as a preview of the upcoming North America fall tour, The Voice of Whitney: A Symphonic Celebration, conducted by William R. Langley.
Pat Houston, president of The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation and executor of the late artist’s estate, will host the gala alongside Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight. “We are excited to have Jennifer Hudson as our headlining performer and special guest,” Pat Houston said in the press announcement. “We are thrilled that she is able to take the time to spend Whitney’s 40th anniversary with us and our special guests. And more importantly, she continues to support Whitney’s legacy.”
The foundation’s 2025 grant award recipient is Kids in the Spotlight, an organization dedicated to empowering foster youth. The gala itself is also offering Houston artifacts as well as additional curated items and experience packages through partnerships with Julien’s Auctions and Charity Buzz. Once again, annual scholarships will be given to students in the arts at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).
“We are delighted how the foundation has developed and expanded over the past four years,” Houston added. “Though Whitney is known worldwide for her exemplary talent in music and entertainment, one of the things she loved more than anything was supporting children and our youth. She always reached back to various communities globally and truly demonstrated the work of a global servant and lived by the adage — ‘I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way; show them all the beauty they possess inside, give them a sense of pride to make it easier…’ — from her international anthem, ‘Greatest Love of All.’”
