Mariah Carey moved to tears by Whitney Houston duet performance

Mariah Carey broke down in tears on TV on Wednesday night (17Apr13) when an American Idol contestant performed the 1998 duet she recorded with the late Whitney Houston.

Carey, who serves as a judge alongside Keith Urban, Randy Jackson and Nicki Minaj, struggled to contain her emotion as she listened to Candice Glover's rendition of When You Believe, the superstar's collaboration with Houston.

After giving the wannabe a standing ovation, the Hero hitmaker said, "Personally, I think you can sing anything in front of anybody anywhere. I don’t want to break down and cry here, because it does remind me of (Houston)... And yes, rest in peace to the great Whitney Houston. I think you did her justice."

Houston drowned in the bathtub of her Los Angeles hotel suite in February 2012.