Bobby Brown Sobs at Concert Hours After Whitney Houston's Death

USMagazine, Saturday, February 11, 2012, 8:56pm (PST)

Just hours after the shocking death of his ex-wife Whitney Houston, the show went on for Bobby Brown on Saturday night.

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The R&B singer, 43, went ahead with a planned concert in Mississippi with his famed group New Edition as news hit that Houston had died at age 48 in her hotel room at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

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After reportedly breaking down backstage pre-show, Brown (who shared daughter Bobbi Kristina, 18, with Houston) declined to join his bandmates for the opening song. According to a concertgoer, he then went onstage for the second song to massive cheers, singing "Hit Me Off" with gusto.

At the end of another song, Brown shouted "I love you, Whitney!" and blew a kiss to the sky, looking visibly teary.

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During the ballad "Tenderoni," Brown broke down onstage, the source says. As he sobbed, he asked the audience to sing along to the hit.

Brown and Houston were married from 1992 to 2007.

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Despite their volatile relationship, Houston told Oprah Winfrey in 2009, "I loved him so much...He was my drug. I didn't do anything without him."

Authorities reported Saturday evening that "no signs of foul play" were behind Houston's shocking passing, and her cause of death remains unknown. She entered rehab for drug and alcohol addictions last May.

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