Aretha Franklin Thought Whitney Houston Had "Conquered Her Challenges"

As preparations continue for Whitney Houston's funeral tomorrow, the music superstar's godmother Aretha Franklin shared her thoughts with the Today Show. The Queen of Soul said that based on previews of Houston's upcoming film, Sparkle, she thought Houston looked "fresh, she looked healthy, and she looked gorgeous. And I thought, 'Yes, she has conquered her challenges' and was on the way."

Franklin revealed she was in a hotel room in North Carolina last Saturday when she heard the shocking news: "I had just finished watching George Clooney in 'The Descendants,' and I flipped back to the regular TV and maybe two minutes after I did it came across the screen. I just jumped up off the side of the bed." Franklin recalled hearing Whitney sing for the first time in the 1970s, "When she hit the soprano, I said, 'Oh, this little girl can sing! OK, Cissy's baby can sing!'"

Of fame and pressures, Franklin said, "Parents have to really talk to their children before they leave home. She left home with all the right things; she just kind of lost her way along the way somewhere." As for Houston's ex, Bobby Brown, she said he had "responsibility to step up to the plate and be responsible (for daughter Bobbi)." But she said, "I really don't have an opinion on" whether Brown could be blamed for Houston's problems.

Last night in Maryland, Brown was performing with New Edition: He said after thanking fans, "Life is life ... you have to move on sometimes.... I love [Whitney] like I love God ... my name is BAD ASS Bobby Brown."