Whitney Pays Tribute

By Stephen M. Silverman

06/25/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Whitney Houston joined husband Bobby Brown, James Earl Jones, Lynn Whitfield and other stars in a Tuesday night gala tribute in New Jersey to the late scholar, star and political activist Paul Robeson (1898-1976). "Now I understand that why I stand here today is because of Paul Robeson," said Houston, who sang two songs (one of them a cappella) from Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess," which originally starred Robeson. The concert marked one of Houston's few public appearances since a marijuana possession charge against her in Hawaii was resolved earlier this month. Asked after the program to respond to rumors that his wife might have a drug problem, Brown told the Associated Press, "I don't even want to discuss that, because it's garbage. If you saw her tonight, then you know ain't nothing wrong with her." Brown did cause some eyebrows to rise during his performance, given that he was wearing a leather dress and a diamond necklace, say reports. He was also the evening's only entertainer who did not perform a song associated with Robeson.