Kevin Costner says he ‘didn’t want to’ give a eulogy for Whitney Houston at first

Kevin Costner is trying again at his emotional eulogy to his beloved “Bodyguard” co-star Whitney Houston 12 years later.

Showing on , the 69-year-old recalled the stress of correctly paying tribute to Houston at her funeral days after

“I eulogized her and I didn’t need to,” Costner defined. “When she handed away, there was a gentle drumbeat to listen to. , she was such a giant persona that everyone was happening the air speaking. And that was not my first intuition.”

Costner mentioned that 5 or 6 days after Houston died, he was being advised that he wanted to say one thing concerning her passing. Nevertheless it wasn’t till he obtained a name from Dionne Warwick, who was planning a memorial for Houston, that he felt in a position to converse.

“I might really feel the burden on her, now it’s shifted to me. What am I going to say about this little lady?” Costner mentioned, earlier than explaining the vitality within the room the day of Houston’s funeral. “(I) went again to that church in Newark (in New Jersey) and it was crammed. It was electrical. There have been two bands taking part in, the church was alive. It was like, increase!”

With “a bunch of individuals” filling the church awaiting his tribute, Costner recalled, “I actually caught out.” Whereas sitting in a row ready his flip, Costner mentioned somebody approached him requesting that he shorten his speech, which turned out to be 17 minutes lengthy.

“Someone mentioned, ‘CNN’s right here,’” he started, recalling their dialog. “‘They wouldn’t thoughts in case your remarks have been stored shorter as a result of they’re going to have commercials.’ And I mentioned, ‘They will recover from that. They will play the industrial whereas I’m speaking, I don’t care.’”

TODAY.com has reached out to CNN for remark, however had not heard again by the point of publication.

“However I’ve come right here after I didn’t need to converse and I didn’t need to do two minutes and I crafted this speech,” he mentioned, then including, “I didn’t really feel like I used to be the fitting man to go up there, however I did.”

Houston and Costner starred within the 1992 movie “The Bodyguard,” which centered round a former U.S. Secret Service agent employed to guard a well-known singer. Talking concerning the film, Costner recalled the connection he shared with the “Best Love of All” singer.

“I don’t know what it was, however we had a second and I spotted that the world had a better thought of who we have been, so I principally embraced it,” he mentioned. “I used to be her imaginary bodyguard.”

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