Sunday, February 12, 2012 7:26am ET by  
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Simon Cowell says he wanted Whitney Houston for X Factor USA

Music mogul Simon Cowell has spoken out about the untimely death of vocal sensation Whitney Houston and admitted she was one of the names that had been suggested for a judging role on the new series of X Factor USA. 

Cowell invited the 'I Will Always Love You' star to perform on The X Factor back in 2009 and revealed to the Mail Online (February 12) that he planned to discuss the possibility of asking her to appear on the talent show at a meeting next week:

"We were ironically going to meet on Monday and of course one of the names we were going to be talking about in that meeting as a possible mentor on the new series of X Factor was actually going to be Whitney Houston. I have no idea genuinely whether she really was that interested or whether she would have."

"Given the choice, I would have liked to have taken her under my wing as well, because she would have been the ultimate, ultimate mentor to any contestant coming on the show."

 

 

 

He also explained the impact that Houston's incredible talent has on the aspiring singers that audition for The X Factor, adding:

"Whitney - ever since I’ve been doing this job, particularly doing talent shows over the last 10 years - was the No. 1 singer anyone ever wanted to emulate, if they really wanted to be a superstar, it was always Whitney. We would hear Whitney songs over and over again. She was the benchmark, she truly was."

Watch Houston's performance of 'Jesus Loves Me' from February 9 below: