Dubai concert promoter recalls 'charismatic' Whitney

Dubai: The concert promoter who brought Whitney Houston to Dubai in 2004 recalled a "friendly, charismatic" woman who hugged all the staff involved with her concert, which took place nearly eight years ago today.

Jackie Wartanian, managing director of Centre Stage Management (CSM), a Dubai-based concert promoter, was in Los Angeles to attend the Grammys when she heard the news of Houston's untimely death on Saturday.

"We have really good memories of Whitney," said Wartanian. "We did a Valentine's day gala dinner in 2004. She was really nice, she hugged everyone, she was really friendly.

"When you met her, you saw she has such an amazing talent and was so charismatic. She was one of the most powerful women in the industry, but it was so sad the way she then went down."

Wartanian and her CSM colleagues were preparing to attend the Grammys when they were informed about Houston, and described the downcast atmosphere that seemed to pervade the city.

"The news went really fast. We were in the shops in LA -- she was just a couple of blocks away. You could really feel it in the city... it started raining and you could feel the sadness. It was a shock, especially since we knew her."