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The entertainer honored the late producer, who was a longtime creative collaborator, with a song from Hairspray.
Queen Latifah honored the memory of the late producer Craig Zadan at the Hollywood Bowl.
The singer concluded her concert with Common Wednesday at the Los Angeles outdoor theater with a performance of Hairspray's "I Know Where I've Been," which she dedicated to the late gay producer.
"I want to dedicate this song to him," an emotional Latifah told the audience. "I just want to thank him. He's such an amazing person."
Zadan died Monday night at his home in the Hollywood Hills. The cause was complications from shoulder replacement surgery.
Latifah has appeared in several productions produced by Zadan and his creative partner Neil Meron, including Chicago, Hairspray, NBC's The Wiz, and the all-black, television adaptation of Steel Magnolias.
Many of Latifah's most memorable musical performances have come from Zadan/Meron productions. She famously sang "I Know Where I've Been" in Hairspray, in which she played Motormouth Maybelle. Earlier at the Hollywood Bowl, she sang "When You're Good to Mama" from Chicago, in which she played Matron "Mama" Morton.
At the Bowl, Latifah went on to praise Zadan and Meron for thinking outside the box when it came to casting. "They made me the first female Wizard," Latifah said. "So many movies, so much of what you see in entertainment is brought to you by these partners."
She added that although Zadan may have died, "That's OK. We keep it alive for him."
Listen to a clip from the performance below.
