Christina Grimmie’s Beautifully Haunting Performance Of ‘I Will Always Love You’

Shortly after the passing of pop icon Whitney Houston, pre-Voice Christina Grimmie took to Youtube to pay her respects. Uploaded just a day after Houston was found unconcious in her hotel room at The Beverly Hilton, Grimmie posted a cover of Houston’s version of Dolly Parton’s famed “I Will Always Love You.”

In an out of character video, the singer stepped away from her usual trend of singing while playing the piano in exchange for a slideshow honoring Houston’s life with her cover playing in the background.

“This will be one of the few times where I’m not playing the piano,” says Grimmie. “Mainly because this song is so big and honestly I can’t make it through without tearing up or crying or like falling short…There was no way I could really do it justice without just singing to a karaoke.”

She goes on to express her love and admiration for the fallen star. Grimmie‘s performance of the difficult ballad is both haunting and beautiful in delivery and upholds the level of expertise the song requires.

You can watch her tribute to Whitney Houston in the video below.