Beyonce says the world lost the “ultimate legend” with the passing of Whitney Houston. The pop megastar has released a statement describing Whitney’s death as “painful.” Beyonce says she’ll always remember being 15-years-old and meeting Whitney for the first time, noting that so many of her life’s memories “are attached to a Whitney Houston song.” Beyonce adds that her career was helped immensely by Houston, who she says “opened doors and provided a blueprint for all of us.” Fellow pop superstar Mariah Carey has also weighed in on Whitney’s passing. Carey tweets that she’s “heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death” of her friend. Mariah is also using a photo of her and Whitney has her profile picture on Twitter.

Whitney Houston died Saturday in a hotel room in Beverly Hills. A cause of death has not been announced, but sources have stated that she may have drowned in her bathtub. Whitney Houston was 48.