Whitney Houston fans in Harlem remember singer at the Apollo

Whitney Houston was no stranger to Harlem - and for that, local residents felt a strong connection to a booming voice that captured the hearts of the world.

Many even danced and sang her hits outside of the State Office building in Harlem on Monday night.

"She was one of the greatest singers of all-time," the Rev. Calvin Butts told his congregation at Abyssinian Baptist Church on Sunday as he remembered the fallen singer, who began singing at her hometown church in Newark.

“She was also a great gospel singer,” Butts said, recalling the Jan. 16, 1983 night when Houston performed at the W. 138th St. church with her mother Cissy in a gosepl event hosted by the National Council of Negro Women Inc.

Butts said his church also joined with Houston’s mother to pray for the singer, who struggled with drugs, during her lowest times.

Apollo Theater historian Billy Mitchell also shared fond memories of the 48-year-old singer.

Houston's legacy has also impacted many of the performers of the Apollo talent show, Amateur Night.

"A lot of the songs that these Amateur Night contestants sang, they were Whitney Houston songs...her vocals were what they wanted to achieve.”

Houston also once surprised her friends BeBe and CeCe Winans, who were performing at the Apollo.

Whitney touched everybody.”

Harlem singer Alyson Williams, whose recording career took off in the late 1980s, remembered a young Houston, performing with her mother in Upper West Side clubs, like Sweetwater’s and Mikell’s.

Williams, 50, who also struggled with drugs, said the loss hits home.