When the Grammys finally got around to paying tribute to Whitney Houston, who died this weekend at the age of 48, there was only one performer who could have possibly filled the shoes of the woman who turned a remake into her own classic.

Jennifer Hudson performed “I will always love you,” the Dolly Parton song redone to perfection by Whitney Houston for the soundtrack to the 1992 movie “The Bodyguard.” Hudson took to an empty stage more than three quarters of the way through the Grammy telecast, clad in black. She looked — and sounded — shaken at the beginning of her performance, but managed to deliver a stunning, if brief, rendition.

Twitter was buzzing with the length of the wait time before the Whitney Houston tribute, and after Hudson performed, the buzz continued over the truncated version, which didn’t include Whitney’s famous key change. But few could dispute that Hudson sang it well.

LISTEN: Jennifer Hudson performs “I will always love you” in tribute to Whitney Houston at the 2012 Grammy Awards:

WATCH: NBC coverage of the Grammy tributes to Whitney Houston:

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