Jennifer Hudson's emotional Walk of Fame ceremony
Jennifer Hudson fought back tears while speaking about her late mother as she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday (13Nov13).
The Oscar winner was surrounded by family and friends when she unveiled the 2,512th star on the iconic Los Angeles sidewalk, but Hudson pointed out that there was one person she wanted by her side for the special moment - her late mom Darnell Donnerson.
Welling up during her acceptance speech, Hudson said, "I knew I
would get emotional and I'm sure my mom is in heaven like 'Jenny
stop crying' but now's the time to cry mama, it is. This is an
amazing honor as we all know and I did not see this coming. I'm so
honored to be here with so many that I love and I feel as though
we're all a family."
Donnerson, along with Hudson's nephew and brother, was shot dead by
her sister's estranged husband William Balfour in 2008.
During the ceremony, music executive Clive Davis, was also on hand
to praise the former American Idol contestant.
He recalled, "I didn't sign her to a recording contract at the very
beginning, but when I saw her, I saw her screen test for
Dreamgirls, I knew that she was truly a unique original artist
whose career would be nothing short of spectacular so I did sign
her, then I was stunned by her acting range, she was the real
deal... and that voice.
"I had been privileged over the years to work with two of the
greatest voices of all time: Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston. I
never thought I'd hear another voice to compare and yet staring me
in the face was a new voice that did compare. It literally sent
shivers up my spine."
Hudson was also joined by her fiance, David Otunga, their
four-year-old son David Daniel Otunga, Jr., R&B star Raphael
Saadiq and songwriter Diane Warren at the ceremony.