Whitney Houston Dead – Country Stars React

Whitney Houston died on Saturday, leaving a generation of fans and artists who call her an idol in deep mourning. Country stars reacted nationwide upon learning of the 48-year-old's still unexplained death. The star sold over 170 million albums worldwide before drugs and a tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown chipped away at her influence and capabilities.

"I'm speechless! Sooo freakin sad... Wow," Steel Magnolia's Meghan Linsey tweets. She was amongst the early repsonders to the tragic news, but the outpouring of emotion is still taking over social media networks like Twitter and Facebook. The news comes just one day before the Grammy Awards, which will surely have a somber tone on Sunday.

It's not known how or where Houston died. On Thursday the singer was seen leaving a pre-Grammy party bloodied and staggering drunk. She had performed with Kelly Price, but got into a shouting match with paparazzi upon exiting. News of Houston's death was confirmed by her publicist, Kristen Foster.