Having only found out about the death of his daughter's mother a few hours prior, Bobby Brown took to the stage in a heart-felt performance and dedication to Whitney Houston.

Brown took the stage as part of the New Edition reunion tour at the Landers Center in Southaven which is close to Memphis, Tenn.

"First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage," Brown said as the singer needed several moments to gather himself.

And while brown was visibly overcome with emotion, the 7,500 fans that gathered for the show were vocal in their support during the whole night.

"Bobby sang for Whitney, and when he shed some tears the audience cheered him on," concertgoer Lagina Scott, who attended the performance with husband Don Scott, told PEOPLE magazine.

"He was so awesome. He performed his heart out, even saying, "I love you Whitney…Bobby was so strong tonight, I give him a 100 percent, because I could not have done this," said Scott.

Follow us

Scott explained that, "hours before, Bobby was told the love of his life and the mother of his soon-to-be 19-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, had died, and he went on to do the show, which lasted for more than 4½ hours."

Khalilah Hollis, 34, of Horn Lake, Miss., said she was already in the building for the concert when she found out through Facebook that Houston had died.

"It's really sad that she passed away. She was an icon," Hollis said.