Jan. 16 (UPI) -- "She was a great girl," Arsenio Hall said of Whitney Houston during Wednesday's episode of his new talk show. "She would love that I'm doing this again," he added quietly.
The 57-year-old talk show host choked up when actress Tika Sumpter -- who played Houston's daughter on her last film project, Sparkle -- imitated the late singer's voice and mannerisms.
"You'd be sitting in a corner, and I'd be just kind of quiet, they'd be changing for the set-up and she's like, 'You okay, baby? Who do I need to talk to to make sure you're all right?'" Sumpter said of Houston, who died in 2012. "And I'm like, 'I'm good' and she's like, 'All right, I got you.' She was just like a mother."
"You hit it. You hit those beats so perfectly," said Hall, one of Houston's longtime friends. He tried to move on to another subject, but seemed unable to continue.
I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you cry," Sumpter said.
Watch the emotional interview above.
[People, The Grio]
