Jordin Sparks yesterday paid tribute to her ‘Sparkle’ co-star Whitney Houston at a pre-Oscars celebration.

The 2007 American Idol winner, who was appearing at Essence Magazine’s annual Black Women In Hollywood Luncheon, gave an emotive rendition of the Curtis Mayfield-penned ‘Look Into Your Heart,’ a song which the late soul singer performs in the re-make of the 1976 film.

Houston plays Sparks’ mother in the movie, set to open in August in the US and October in the UK, which tells the story of a three-piece girl-band’s struggle to deal with the dark side of fame.

People Magazine also reports that the 22-year-old told the star-studded audience about her time working with Houston, who tragically died at the Beverly Hilton Hotel earlier this month:

“The first day she got [to the set] she's scolding me, and I'm thinking this is the best day ever. She went from being this unreachable supernova pop star to my co-star, friend and someone who was like a mentor to me. It was a gift and an honour to play opposite Whitney Houston in the film.”