The sudden death of singer Whitney Houston at age 48 shocked fans and musicians all over the world. The outpouring of grief was immediate, with one common refrain: The world had lost one of its greatest singers.

Nearly all of the trends on Twitter worldwide were shortly associated with the singer's death: R.I.P Whitney Houston, #DearWhitney, #IWillAlwaysLoveYou, The Bodyguard, Bobby Brown and Wanna Dance With Somebody.

"The first full hour after the news broke saw 2,481,652 tweets and retweets, peaking at 61,227 tweets at 5:23 p.m. (all times are PST)," according to Topsy.com, which indexes and ranks results based on the most influential conversations on social media

"That is over a thousand tweets a second, not quite as much as during the Superbowl but still a lot."

Beyonce Knowles

"The loss of Whitney Houston is painful. I remember meeting Whitney for the first time when I was 15. She was the ultimate legend. The ultimate woman. Not only was she confident, poised, stunningly beautiful and intelligent, but she was sincere and kind. She took the time to make everyone feel like they were very important to her. I, like every singer, always wanted to be just like her. Her voice was perfect. Strong but soothing. Soulful and classic. Her vibrato, her cadence, her control. So many of my life's memories are attached to a Whitney Houston song. She is our queen and she opened doors and provided a blueprint for all of us. God bless her. "

Celine Dion:

"I'm in shock. Whitney was such an amazing artist. When I started my English career, I wanted to be like her. I loved her so much. My prayers go out to her daughter and to all of her family."

Whoopi Goldberg:

"The loss of an icon and superstar like Whitney Houston is devastating. However, it can't compare to the loss of a mother, daughter, niece and friend, so my heart goes out to her family, to whom she was so much more."

Yoko Ono:

"She was a woman of brave and beautiful soul. I feel sad that she had to go."

David Foster, producer:

"There is not a word that describes my reaction... It doesn't exist in the English language.. .This was the voice that record producers dreamed of working with... I got butterflies.. She was pure magic. She was iconic ... I had the  pleasure and privilege of having an up close and personal front row seat  to the greatest of them all."

Russell Simmons:

"My thoughts and prayers are with her beautiful child and her entire family. This is a tough time for the entire music community, as we all loved Whitney. May she rest in peace and may we all dance with somebody tonight."

Barry Manilow:

"My heart goes out to her family, to Clive (Davis, Houston's mentor), and to everyone who knew and loved this amazingly talented and beautiful artist. I will always love her."

Christina Aguilera:

"Whitney's voice was so special to me. Her notes soared to places most singers dream of reaching. She will be missed."