Whitney Houston was left in shock after hearing about the death of Michael Jackson - because she didn't realise how bad the King of Pop's addiction to painkillers had become.
The I Will Always Love You diva has given a candid interview to TV titan Oprah Winfrey as part of her comeback to the music scene, revealing the sordid details of her own struggle with drugs and the breakdown of her marriage to Bobby Brown.
In the second installment of the chat with Winfrey, which aired in the U.S. on Tuesday (15Sep09), Houston tells how she was stunned to hear of Jackson's passing - admitting the Thriller legend's drug problems mirrored her own.
She told Winfrey, "(Jackson's death was) devastating. I have so many good memories of spending time with him. I've known his family for so many years that I thought, 'It can't be true.'
"I just remember doing the (Jackson 30th) anniversary special and I remember looking at Michael and I remember looking at myself and I was getting scared looking at him. I was looking at myself. I don't want it to be like this. Mike and I were very close."