The death of Whitney Houston, one of the greatest influences in the music industry, truly devastated not only her family, but also thousands of her fans and colleagues in Hollywood as well. One of these is American singer Tony Bennett, who even expressed his opinion of drug legalization after the passing of Whitney Houston.

On Clive Davis’ pre-Grammys party bash, just hours after the death of Whitney Houston at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Davis, who also happens to be Houston’s mentor, producer, champion and longtime friend – memorialized Whitney Houston at this year’s gala, held downstairs in the very same hotel where the “Run To You” singer died.

As one of the performers in Clive Davis’ gala, Tony Bennett first recalled other recent big-name deaths in the music industry and appealed to the crowd to support him in drug legalization before he performed his number. Tony Bennett said, “First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now the magnificent Whitney Houston. Let’s legalize drugs, like Amsterdam, it’s a very sane city now. No one’s hiding or sneaking around corners to get it. They go to a doctor.”

The reason of Tony Bennett for the drug legalization is that Whitney Houston, whose cause of death has not been determined yet, was only the latest casualty of a drug policy that forces people to take risks.

While Whitney Houston did have her struggles with drug abuse in the past, it has not been established that drugs played a role in her death on Saturday.

Tony Bennett, who called Houston “the greatest singer I’ve ever heard in my life,” performed “How Do You Keep The Music Playing” at the star-filled gala.

Despite the shocking death of Whitney Houston only earlier in that day, Grammy President and CEO Neil Portnow said, “Canceling the party was never an option. A lot of us holding hands tonight, on each other’s shoulders … We’ll be celebrating. The legacy she left will be here forever.”

Neil Portnow announced that Jennifer Hudson will be performing a tribute for Whitney Houston at the Grammy Awards.

Earlier that evening, India Arie said Whitney Houston “set the standard for what it is to be a great female artist,” while producer Jimmy Jam said her death was a “bittersweet irony” given that Clive Davis declared Whitney Houston as a great talent to watch when he had her perform at his party in her youth.